Anth's Episode rewrites: Clois style
by anthfan
Summary: Rewrites of all episodes Lois has been in beginning with 'Reckoning' which can be found in my companion piece 'Broken Smiles' told from both Lois and Clark's POV
1. Tomb Clark POV

Clark left Chloe's dorm making a bee-line for his truck. He didn't know where she had gone but his run in with Lana and Lex had left him uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why they had been so quick to lock her away. Especially Lana. Chloe was her roommate, her friend, for her to turn to Lex without even talking to him first....he didn't know what to think of that.

More and more he felt like there was no chance of him and Lana reconciling. His dad had been gone for almost a month and he had only seen her a handful of times since the funeral. Shaking away the strings of melancholy that threatened to distract him he picked up his phone to check in with Lois, she had returned to the Talon in the hopes that Chloe had gone there.

He and Lois had become closer after his dad's death but as the time passed they soon fell back into their old familiar routine. He needled her, she busted his chops, but it gave him an odd comfort to know that she didn't look at him any differently after breaking down in front of her. Every now and then though they'd catch each others eye and there would be a moment where he thought maybe they both felt a little bit more than they did before.

As he waited for Lois to pick up he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the wiper blades.

"Smallville, tell me you found her." her voice came across the line, no time taken to greet him properly.

"Not yet." he admitted, already wincing for the criticism that was sure to come his way.

"I told you she should have stayed at the hospital, Clark." she said in that annoyingly superior tone of hers. The way she said 'Clark', as if it could have easily been substituted with 'idiot' or 'stupid'.

He sighed quietly before responding "I'm going to go see if Chloe's been at the Planet."

"Ok. Fine, fine. I'll call you if she shows up." and then before he could say a word, the line was dead.

She really needed to work on her phone manners, he though distractedly before turning the truck around and heading back towards the Planet.

Two hours later he was still going through the files on Chloe's computer. Lucky for him there was hardly anyone around and the ones that were there were so used to seeing him with Chloe they barely gave him a second glance.

At some point he started going back through old issues of the Torch. Gretchen Winters had been a student at Smallville High so it occurred to him that her disappearance may have been covered.

He was reading an article about a candlelight vigil for her when something made him take a closer look at the picture that accompanied the story. There. One of the people at the vigil, it was the orderly from the hospital!

Knowing this was the only possible connection they had he opened Chloe's bookmarks and found the one that would link him to the hospital's online database, the secure, password protected database that she had hacked a long time ago. It didn't take him long to find the orderly and his address. Forgoing the truck he supersped back to Smallville.

When he arrived at the house he stood on the lawn in the rain for a minute and scanned the building. The two main floors seemed to be empty but in the basement there were three people, two of them appeared to be tied down.

His brow furrowed, Chloe had to be one of them, but who was the other. Had this guy already found another victim.

Around the back of the house was a dim staircase that led down to a basement access door. Busting the lock as quietly as possible he slowly made his way through the dark rooms. Careful not to knock into anything, he used his vision again to see exactly where they were. Staying out of sight he could hear Westmore ranting and he could see Chloe but he still didn't know who the other person was.

And then a hunting knife flew and embedded itself in the kidnapper's upper chest.

"Are all the women in your family crazy?" he roared and then went after the one who had just fought back.

Lois! Clark thought as a cold fist seized around his gut and he stepped out just as Westmore raised the knife over her body.

A burst of his heat vision on the knife and then the threat was gone. Clark rushed forward and grabbed him by the front of his jacket but suddenly he was overcome with pain. Kryptonite. There was another one of those bracelets and it was on Chloe's wrist.

He staggered backwards, trying to put enough distance between himself and the rock, but Westmore took advantage of the situation and Clark didn't have enough time to block the fist that sent him crashing backwards onto the concrete floor. The last thought he had before he blacked out was that he had failed them.

Lois's desperate cry of 'Chloe!' was what brought him back. He scrambled to his feet and saw the body of Westmore on the floor. Lois was kneeling by Chloe, who was still tied to the chair.

Chloe's eyes met his and she quickly threw the bracelet as far as she could.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Lois and Chloe both looked shellshocked. "I guess Gretchen got what she came back for." Chloe answered, face still streaked with tears.

Lois looked at him, gag loose around her neck and ropes hanging from her wrists. For a second she allowed him to see how scared she had been.

He stepped towards them, and first wrapped Chloe in a tight hug, feeling how desperately she clung to him. She gave him a small smile when he pulled back to turn to Lois.

When he reached for the gag she jumped a mile. "Hey. It's ok Lois, I'm just trying to he..."

"I've got it Smallville." she barked, ripping the gag from around her neck and struggling frantically with the last of the bonds before she finally succeeded in ridding herself of them.

He reached a hand out to her shoulder to offer some comfort, as much for him as it was for her but she shrugged his hand off violently "I'm fine Smallville! I'm fine. Chloe's the one this monster was after, she's who you should be worried about."

Chloe put a hand on his arm and shook her head no. He understood. Lois was in protection mode and he wasn't going to get to her right now.

"Let's get out here, ok. I've about had all I can take of being tied down for a lifetime."

Clark followed the girls up the stairs and to Chloe's car where they called the Sheriff.

It was the early morning hours when they were finally done giving their statements. Chloe dropped Lois off at the Talon before making her way back to Metropolis. Clark was intending to head back to the farm but made an impromptu decision and went in the direction of town instead.

He could see all the lights on in her apartment when he pulled up. When he knocked on the door, it took her a few minutes to answer. When she did she wore the fluffiest robe he'd ever seen, had her bunny slippers on her feet and her hair haphazardly wrapped in a towel.

"Smallville." she said, sounding surprised.

"Um, hi. I just...I wanted to make sure you were ok." he stammered a bit, not really knowing why he had decided to come over

She rolled her eyes at him before turning away and heading to the kitchen counter. "I'm fine. I told you that already. It's going to take a lot more than some low life nut job to mess with Lois Lane." as she spoke her words became faster and the pitch of her voice higher.

"Hey." he said and unthinkingly reached out to grasp her wrist. Her hiss of pain and shriek of fright made him drop it immediately and then take her hand in his and push the sleeve of her robe back, ignoring her protests. Her wrists were torn all around from where she had struggled to get out of her bonds.

"Let it go, Smallville." she said, a hint of desperation entering her voice as she tried to pull away from him.

"What happened?" he asked carefully but with a glint of force to his voice, his concern leaking though, he knew something was going on with her that she didn't want him to know about. But he didn't let go of her hand.

She stopped struggling and took a deep breath before speaking "He came here. I knew there was something creepy about him and I should have kicked his ass out as soon as I knew but...I didn't and I thought he was gone and I was trying to call the Sheriff but he came back and attacked me before I could talk to them." she looked down, almost looking ashamed at getting taken.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked worriedly, a large hand reaching out to brush her cheek.

"No, not really. He knocked me out with chloroform. And thats all I remember until I woke up in the basement of doom, gagged and tied to the chair."

"Hey, this is not your fault. You had no idea he was going to come back."

She brushed his hand away dismissively "Still, if I hadn't gotten taken I could have alerted the Sheriff's office of what was going on and none of this would have happened."

"Yeah, and if I had gotten to you sooner it wouldn't have happened either." he said, his guilt evident in the harshness of his voice.

Lois started to contradict him when she stopped "So, I guess Guilt Avenue happens to be a two way street tonight, huh."

"Yeah, something like that." he agreed and gave her a half smile. "Let's get you fixed up, ok?"

"First aid kit is in the bathroom, I'll just go grab it." she turned to leave but was stopped by the hand that was still holding hers. "Uh, Smallville." she said pointedly and looked down.

"Oh. Right, sorry." he said quickly and dropped her hand, hoping his face didn't flush too red.

She returned from the bathroom and was silent as he worked on her wrists, being as gentle as he could. He could still feel her wince occasionally and he wished he could take her pain on as his own. When he was done, he put the materials back in the kit and turned to face her. He was about to speak when she cut him off.

"Ok. Now it's your turn. Sit."

"Wha..what are you talking about?"

"Sit. You must have gotten a pretty good clunk on the head, you were passed out when I came to." she had her hands on her hips and was looking at him in that 'take no prisoners' way she had that let him know she wouldn't take no for an answer.

He sat obligingly on the bar stool "Lois, I'm fine. I got the knife away from him before he could stab you and then he got in a lucky shot."

"Shush." she said sharply, pressing his shoulders down and then beginning to run her hands through his hair, fingers strong but careful.

His eyes slid shut involuntarily and the rush of emotion that welled up in his chest took him by surprise.

She had stepped closer to him when she had begun her exam and now stood between his legs, seemingly oblivious to their current position.

Her fingers slowed and he heard her breath hitch. There, he thought, she realized it now.

Her hands fell to his shoulders. "Well Smallville, you must have a head like a boulder, I can't find a thing." her voice was slightly shaky and he could tell she wanted to bolt.

She went to step away and in a flash his hands reached out to grasp her hips. He stood from the stool and looked down at her. And again, like she had for that brief moment in the basement, he could see how scared she had been.

Neither of them said a word and he pulled her in for the hug he had wanted to give her hours ago. He felt her arms slide down and then underneath his jacket, palms spread across his red t-shirt.

"I was scared." she admitted, face pressed tightly into his chest.

He leaned into the towel still wrapped around her head "I was too."

"He...he wanted me to slit my wrists or he was going to shoot Chloe." her voice was shaky and he felt a tremor go through her as she remembered.

Clark sucked in a sharp breath and pulled her closer, he had no idea the guy was that twisted. "But you didn't, thats what's important."

"No. I threw the knife at the bastard's heart." came her muffled reply "Left-handed" and there was no denying the bit of pride he could hear.

"I'll have to thank the General for that the next time I see him." he said with a soft chuckle, hoping to make her feel better.

"You do that." she said, smile evident.

He gave her one more squeeze before pulling back a step. "You sure you're ok? You could come stay at the farm tonight, I know mom wouldn't mind."

"I'll be ok. Really." she added at his arched eyebrow. "You should get going, you didn't exactly have a restful night yourself."

"I'm fine, but if you ever want to play 'Doctor' again..." he smiled playfully, enjoying the way her eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed before she hauled back a hand to smack him in the arm.

"Smallville!" came her retort "I didn't know you had it in you."

He made his way to the door before he was stopped by her hand. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime, Lois. Goodnight." he gave her one more smile before pulling the door shut behind him.

"Goodnight, Smallville." he heard as he walked down the stairs, wondering why he seemed to be ending up with Lois in his arms an awful lot lately and why that didn't seem to bother him as much as he thought it would.


	2. Tomb Lois POV

Lois unlocked the door to her apartment at the Talon and slung the shopping bag onto the kitchen counter with an exasperated sigh. Where could Chloe be? She was worried as hell about her baby cousin and when she got worried she usually got testy as the line of Talon patrons she had blown through now knew from first hand experience. Clark was supposed to call her with any news but she hadn't heard from him in a while.

She had run down the street to that weird occult shop that mostly just sold incense and Inya CDs, to pick up a few things. Lois wasn't really the type that fell for the hocus-pocus, but finding the skeleton of a dead girl in your bathroom wall tended to make you want to cover all your bases.

The book recommended the burning of sage to purge the dwelling of bad spirits. She could do this while she was holding down the fort there, waiting for Chloe to show up or for a call about where she was.

Lois was on her second pass through the apartment when her phone rang. Glancing at the caller I.D a rush of apprehension and relief went through her at the same time.

"Smallville, tell me you found her." she demanded

"Not yet." he said

"I told you she should have stayed at the hospital, Clark." unable to hide her frustration

He was quiet for a moment before responding "I'm going to go see if Chloe's been at the Planet."

"Ok, Fine, fine. I'll call you if she shows up." and snapped her phone shut before he could say another word. She was glad in a way that they had been able to go back to their familiar give and take, mostly of her giving him hell and him taking it, and other than the satisfaction she got out of making the farm boy squirm, she knew it also meant that he was in a better place now than he had been a few weeks ago when his dad had died. They didn't really talk about it anymore, what had happened that night, she didn't think either of them felt there was a need, but he had never looked at her differently, even after everything he had seen and that meant a lot to her.

Lois turned towards the door after hanging up with Clark and jumped back in surprise. There was a man, standing in her doorway. She regained her composure quickly as he explained that he was the orderly from the hospital and had come to check on Chloe.

He walked further into the room, following her as she went to set the sage down.

"I didn't know orderlies made housecalls." she said, every finely honed instinct she had telling her that this guy was not quite right.

He didn't turn to look at her. "Oh, she just seemed like a really sweet girl, just wanted to make sure she gets help." and then he turned towards her "before something bad happens." and Lois's creep meter went off the charts.

She gave him a tight, fake smile and nodded, knowing that she needed to get this guy out the door as fast as possible. "Well, I'll call Dr. Sidell if I hear from her."

He didn't respond, just kept looking around the apartment and if it was possible Lois had even more red flags go off, every hair on the back of her neck was standing up and an errant thought ran through her head 'Why hadn't I stayed on the phone with Clark for ten more seconds.' She needed to get this guy out.

"Whatcha looking at?" she said in a fake breezy voice.

"Hmmm, oh nothing." he said "My dad used to run this place back when it was a movie theatre. I haven't been up here in... god...must be going on ten years now."

"Ten years" she said calmly while inside she was trying desperately to figure out anyway she could to get this guy to leave so she could call the Sheriff.

"Looks a lot nicer, smells better too." he said

"Miracle of the aura cleansing sage." she said, walking towards him now in an obvious attempt to herd him toward the door. "And speaking of which I should probably get back to that."

"Oh yeah, yeah, sure. If you see her will you tell her I was asking about her?"

"Sure." she said brightly, he was almost out the door

"Thanks" he said as he turned to leave.

"No problem." she replied, hand already on the door and her phone in her hand.

As soon as he had cleared the jam she shut the door behind him and was digging for the business card of the new Sheriff. So focused on calling for help that she stupidly forgot to lock the door behind her.

The phone took an agonizingly long time to ring and then fear shot through her like a lightning bolt as a hand holding a chloroform soaked cloth was pressed to her face. She struggled as best she could, but he had her in a tight hold and the fumes did their job as she sank to the ground. Her last thought as her vision blurred was that she should have called Clark.

When she came to the first thing she noticed was the damp musky smell of mildew and the sound of pounding rain. Then she noticed the raging headache she had courtesy of the chloroform. She took in her surroundings. She was obviously in some sort of basement, tied to a chair and gagged. But the gag wasn't that tight and with some maneuvering she was able to get it lose enough to let it slip down around her neck.

The ropes on her wrist however, were so tight any small movement resulted in pain and there was nothing close enough for her to try and reach to get herself lose.

Then she heard banging sounds and yelling coming from upstairs.

"Hello!" she screamed "Hello! Can anyone here me? Is anyone there?" then she realized that maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do if her captor was waiting for her to wake up.

She waited for what seemed to be the longest three minutes of her life before she saw Chloe's blonde head peek around the corner.

"Chloe! We have to get out of here." she said with no preamble

Chloe immediately went to try and untie her wrists but to no avail and then before she could say anything other than her cousin's name he was there and she was helpless to do anything as he struck her down.

"Time for your treatment, ladies." he said before dragging Chloe to another chair and tied her to it as well.

Lois tried in vain to get out of her ropes, trying to ignore the pain it caused every time she moved her wrists.

Chloe wasn't out that long and when she woke up he started right in, taunting, and cajoling, trying to get her to hurt herself again. Lois couldn't remember a time she had ever been so frightened, this wasn't just her this time, it was Chloe as well and no one knew where they were and no one but Clark was even looking.

She was shaking from fear and that pissed her off and made her even more scared because Lois Lane did not shake from fear. Which meant this was big. Real big.

And then that creep was getting closer to Chloe. Whispering now, and kneeling in front of her. Her cousin was trembling so bad Lois could hear her teeth knock together.

"Hey! Get the hell away from her!" she yelled. Now she was just pissed. That bastard had no right to do this to them.

But he kept on. Kept calling them 'his girls', and then he went behind her where she couldn't see and came back with a bracelet and rambled on about his mother and Chloe looked so petrified now she could split apart at the seams as he approached and put the bracelet on her wrist. And then her baby cousin spit right in that bastards face. And she cheered on the inside.

His voice got hard then and his demeanor shifted as he returned to the space behind her. This. This was bad now.

There was the sound of steel and then he was standing in front of her with a ten inch hunting knife and Lois felt fear like she never had before. Bile rose up in the back of her throat and she had to swallow hard to not get sick.

The rush of blood in her ears was so loud she couldn't hear what he was saying and then the knife went down and she screamed. But he had only cut her wrist free. What the hell was he playing at.

And when she thought things couldn't get worse. They did.

He held the knife out towards her. "Take it." he demanded but she shook her head no, refusing to play his game. "Take it!" he bellowed the next time and she knew she had no other choice than to comply.

With a hand that was shaking so bad she was surprised she had the motor skills required to grasp the handle she took the knife. What he said next she wasn't expecting.

"Slit your wrists."

Was he insane? The answer was yes.

"Screw you, shorty." she spat back

But her verbal retort didn't seem to assuage him and the next thing she knew he had pulled a gun and had it cocked at Chloe's head, telling her he was going to kill her cousin if she didn't slit her wrists.

This was an actual nightmare and she wasn't waking up. The hand holding the knife shook so badly now she had the morbid thought that she may cut herself without meaning to.

"Do it!" he screamed, looking more and more unstable by the second and Lois had to seriously contemplate if she could kill herself to save her cousin.

"Do it! Or her pretty face won't be so pretty anymore." he threatened, his focus solely on Chloe right then.

She looked down for a moment as if she were going to do what he wanted but it was all for show. What psycho boy here didn't know was that she had dated a Green Beret for a couple of months and his idea of fun was teaching her how to throw knives. Even though she would be throwing with her left hand she still knew she had a pretty good chance of hitting the bastard.

"Ahhhh!" she yelled as she flung the knife as hard as she could, straight at his heart.

As soon as the knife was out of her hand she immediately focused on getting her other binding off, she didn't even watch to see where she hit him, just heard his grunt of surprise and pain.

"Are all the women in your family crazy?" he roared

She glanced up to see him pull the blade from his chest and then there was a foot in her gut and she went toppling backwards, striking her head on the concrete floor.

When she came to her first thought was of her cousin.

"Chloe!" she cried and scrambled unsteadily to her feet and saw the prone form of Clark just starting to stir as well before rushing to her cousin's side.

"What happened?" he asked

She took a moment to take in the sight of him, he was a bit mussed up but seemed to be ok.

"I guess Gretchen got what she came back for." Chloe answered

Clark's eyes met hers and for just a second she couldn't hide her emotions and she let him in, let him see how terrified she had been.

He went to Chloe first and hugged her. Lois must have zoned out for a bit because when she felt him reach for the gag around her neck she jumped and covered fear with anger.

"Hey. It's ok Lois, I'm just trying to he.."

But she cut him off before he could finish "I've got it Smallville." she barked and ripped the gag over her head before turning her attention to the last of the ropes on her wrist, not even noticing how burned they were.

Clark tried again, bless his farm boy heart, and put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged him off "I'm fine Smallville. I'm fine. Chloe's the one this monster was after, she's who you should be worried about." and then turned away, knowing she couldn't look at him just then.

Chloe's voice broke the silence "Let's get out of here, ok. I've about had all I can take of being tied down for a lifetime."

The left the basement and headed for Chloe's car where they called the Sheriff and waited for them to arrive.

When they were finally released Chloe dropped her off at the Talon, Lois tried to get her to stay but Chloe assured her she wanted nothing more than to fall into her own bed even if it was in a dorm room.

The first think Lois did when Chloe left was throw away everything thing to do with the sage burning, every time she looked at it all she could think about was Westmore in her apartment. That task completed she headed for the shower where she stayed until the hot water was gone.

Her wrists still stung and she intended to tape them up as best she could after drying off. To her surprise there was a knock at her door.

Clark Kent, shuffling his feet and looking a tad sheepish was not what she expected to find.

"Smallville." she said in greeting

"Um, hi. I just...I wanted to make sure you were ok." he stammered in a way that she had to admit was somewhat adorable.

She rolled her eyes and turned back towards the kitchen "I'm fine. I told you that already. It's going to take a lot more than some low life nut job to mess with Lois Lane." but as she spoke, she realized she had gone from trying to convince him to trying to convince herself and the break in her voice betrayed her.

"Hey" he said and then there was a hand on her and a fiery pain in her wrist and she yelped in fright. He dropped her hand but then immediately picked it back up and before she knew what was happening he was pushing back the sleeve of her robe despite her protests.

"Let it go, Smallville." cringing at how desperate she sounded and tried once again to pull away but his grip was unforgiving.

"What happened?" there was a tone to his voice she hadn't heard before, one that suggested he needed to know the answer and she wasn't going to be able to do a damn thing but tell him.

She took a deep breath before speaking "He came here. I knew there was something creepy about him and I should have kicked his ass out as soon as I knew but...I didn't and I thought he was gone and I was trying to call the Sheriff but he came back and attacked me before I could talk to them." and she dropped her eyes, ashamed that her own stupidity had resulted in Chloe and her almost being killed.

Clark was quiet for a moment and then one of hands was touching her cheek "Did he hurt you?"

"No, not really. He knocked me out with chloroform. And thats all I remember until I woke up in the basement of doom, gagged and tied to the chair."

"Hey, this is not your fault. You had no idea he was going to come back."

She pushed his hand away, not wanting his compassion right then, not feeling that she deserved it. "Still, if I hadn't gotten taken I could have alerted the Sheriff's office of what was going on and none of this would have happened."

She glanced at his face and recognized the classic Clark Kent has the weight of the world on his shoulders look.

"Yeah, and if I had gotten to you sooner it wouldn't have happened either." he shot back at her.

She began to say it wasn't his fault when she stopped, knowing that line would work on him as well as it would work on her right now. "So, I guess Guilt Avenue happens to be a two way street tonight, huh."

"Yeah, something like that." he agreed and gave her a half smile. "Let's get you fixed up, ok?"

"First aid kit is in the bathroom, I'll just go grab it." but as she turned to leave she was anchored to him by the hand that was still holding hers. "Uh, Smallville." and looked pointedly down at their hands.

"Oh. Right, sorry." he said quickly and dropped her hand like she had cooties and they were in the fourth grade.

When she returned from the bathroom neither of them spoke as he worked on her wrists. She could tell he was being as careful as he could and she wondered if he knew that he winced every time she did. He packed up the supplies when he was done and was about to say something when she cut him off.

"Ok, Now it's your turn. Sit."

His confusion was evident. "Wha...what are you talking about?"

Lois put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side "Sit. You must have gotten a pretty good clunk on the head, you were passed out when I came to."

He gave a resigned sigh and humored her by sitting on a bar stool. "Lois, I'm fine. I got the knife away from him before he could stab you and then he got in a lucky shot."

So he did save her then. She hadn't known that. Chloe didn't say anything about Westmore trying to stab her. But she cleared her throat to cover her emotions and went back to the task at hand. "Shush." she said sharply and pushed him down before beginning to run her fingers through his hair checking for any lumps or bumps.

She stepped in closer to reach around to the back of his head and it wasn't until her hip brushed his thigh that she noticed their current position. Her fingers stilled for a moment and her breath caught in her throat.

She let her hands fall to his shoulders before talking quickly to cover up what she was feeling "Well Smallville, you must have a head like a boulder, I can't find a thing." she wanted nothing more than to be on the other side of the room right then.

She took a step back and before she could blink his hands were a heavy weight on her hips and he was standing over her. It hit her then, if Clark hadn't come when he had, she might very well be dead instead of standing here in bunny slippers. When she finally met his eyes she didn't try and hide her fear.

He held her gaze and then pulled her in towards him. Without thinking she let her arms slide down and then wrap around his waist underneath his jacket and splayed her hands across his back, needing to feel as much as him as possible.

"I was scared." she whispered into his chest.

She felt him lean over her a bit more "I was too." he admitted

And she was compelled to tell him everything. She needed him to know what Westmore had done to them. "He..he wanted me to slit my wrists or he was going to shoot Chloe." and an involuntary shiver went straight through her as she remembered him screaming 'Do it!' right in her face.

Clark's arms tightened around her and she heard his breath catch. "But you didn't, thats what's important."

"No. I threw the knife at the bastard's heart. Left-handed" she added, not able to stop the bit of pride she felt at what she had done.

His chest moved beneath her ear as he gave a low chuckle "I'll have to thank the General for that the next time I see him"

She didn't see the need in correcting him that it was actually an ex-boyfriend that had taught her that particular skill "You do that." she said and smiled

Clark gave her one more squeeze and then pulled back, his hands still holding on to her upper arms. "You sure you're ok? You could come stay at the farm tonight, I know mom wouldn't mind."

She smiled at his Boy Scout offer "I'll be ok. Really." she added when he arched an eyebrow, non-verbally questioning her "You should get going, you didn't exactly have a restful night yourself."

He dropped his hands and a mischievous glint showed up in his eyes. "I'm fine, but if you ever want to play 'Doctor' again..."

Lois was shocked, and raised a hand to smack his arm "Smallville! I didn't know you had it in you."

He was almost out the door before he hand shot out, grasping his arm. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime, Lois. Goodnight." he said, smiling before pulling the door shut behind him.

"Goodnight, Smallville." she whispered to the door before heading back to the bathroom, wondering how she kept ending up in Clark Kent's arms on a pretty regular basis recently and why she wasn't as freaked out about it as she thought she would be.


	3. Fragile Lois POV

This one was a bit of a challenge. The first reason being that the my DVD was damaged and of course the only episode that won't play on that particular disk was this one. So I had to rely on episode synopsis and a few clips I found on youtube to refresh my memory. It was also challenging because Lois's role in this one is pretty pointless, and she's not that sympathetic of a character at the beginning. That being said, she did get hurt which is of course is an excellent way to get more Clois in. :) I hope you like this one. Clark's POV should be coming soon. Enjoy.

'**Fragile' rewrite Lois POV**

Why didn't people listen to her? She was usually right.

The social worker seemed to think she was either borderline abusive or an idiot, regardless, he should do them all a favor and maybe take a couple of seconds to hear her out about the girl.

Lois followed them out into the Kent's drive, pleading with the guy to not put Maddie in a car. She made an exasperated noise and silently cursed Clark for leaving her to deal with this mess. Whatever was up with the little girl was Smallville level weird, and things in this town didn't surprise her like they used to, but she was still a little girl and Lois had tried to remind herself of that after her screw up earlier.

"Seriously, for your own safety the girl can't be near glass." Lois said in one last attempt to get him to understand.

"I heard you the first time." he said dismissively, "Will you get her belongings please?"

Lois bit back about three different insults and turned towards the farmhouse. She was about twenty feet away when she heard the telltale sound of glass beginning to shake. "Oh God."

She made eye contact with Maddie, only briefly thinking that the girl looked confused and frightened, not upset. "Maddie get out of the car!" she yelled as she turned back to the house and began to run as fast as she could.

The blast from the car threw her another five feet and she landed hard. It took a moment for her head to clear. When she pushed herself up a bit she saw Maddie about to get out of the car but a man she had never seen before pushed her back in and ran around to the driver's seat, pealing out of the Kent's drive.

As Lois went to push herself up a sharp pain in her left shoulder made her gasp. The fiery heat was spreading and she could feel warm traces of blood making its way down her back. Looking over her shoulder all she could make out were multiple shards of glass imbedded in her upper back. Her jacket seemed to have given her some protection but not enough. She collapsed back down onto her chest, any movement making the pain more intense. Her head was swimming but she needed to get up. She had no idea if the social worker was alive or not, though by what she could see and the force of the blast she didn't know how he could be.

She pushed herself up again, using only her right arm and finally made it to her knees, black spots dancing in front of her. Lois clutched her left arm to her chest as she sat back on her heels for a moment, trying to clear her head and hoping she wouldn't lose consciousness. She took a few deep breaths as a wave of nausea passed over her. Lane's didn't puke.

She heard the sounds of wheels crunching on gravel but she concentrated on her breathing instead of looking up. The next thing she knew there was six foot three inches of hulking farm boy skidding to his knees in front of her. "Lois!" he said, a touch of panic in his voice. His arms were outstretched like he wanted to touch her but not wanting to hurt her at the same time.

Lois felt a surge of relief that Clark was here although she'd never admit it to him. She reached a hand out to rest on his. "I'm fine Smallville." and as if she could almost hear his eyebrows raise she added "Well, I'm not fine, but I'm better than that guy. Go check on him."

Clark hesitated "Go!" she commanded,

In just a moment he was back with her, his voice grave "He didn't make it." she shut her eyes briefly, knowing just how lucky she had been that she hadn't been any closer when the windows exploded. His hand was on her good arm now "Lois, I'm so sorry I left you with her, what happened."

She looked up to see his brows furrowed in worry and guilt "It's ok. No one knew that was going to happen, although I did warn him not to put her anywhere near glass, but does anyone listen to me? No. And look what happens."

She saw him smirk a little at her rant. "Where did she go?"

"There was another guy. After the car exploded he pushed her back in the car and took off in it." she paused, her own guilt rendering her mute for a moment.

"Hey." he said, giving her hand a squeeze "You said yourself, no one could have known."

She didn't answer , but gave him a small glare letting him know what she thought of having her own words used against her.

"Let's get you to the hospital." he said, moving to put a hand under her good arm to help her up.

"No. You need to call the cops or go after her. I can wait." she protested

"Lois. You've got shards of glass sticking out of your back. You're going to the hospital. I'll call the Sheriff on the way." he replied in a voice that said this time she wasn't going to get her way.

She mumbled insults under her breath before pushing herself to her feet, Clark's arms helping her up but a wave of dizziness hit her so strong when she was upright she would have gone down again if he hadn't caught her around the waist doing his best to not bump her bad arm.

"Lois!" he exclaimed moving to pick her up but she stopped him

"Chill, Smallville. I'm fine. Just give me a minute." hating that she had to clutch his arm to keep her balance.

Clark stood still as a rock but she could tell he was anxious.

As her head cleared she released him but noticed that he didn't let her go at all.

"Let's go." she said and headed for the truck, fighting with every step to appear that she was fine while trying to ignore the pain that threatened to drop her again.

Clark let her go but kept one hand on the small of her back and the other at her elbow just in case.

He helped her into the cab of the truck and raced to the other side.

The ride to the hospital was mostly silent. Lois had to sit facing the door in order to keep pressure off the glass and by the time Clark had finished filling the Sheriff's office in on what had happened they were almost there.

Clark pulled in at the emergency room entrance and was over to her side of the truck before she could reach for the handle.

The pain making her irritable, coupled with her guilt for letting Maddie be taken Lois was in no mood for his chivalry act. "I can open a door, Smallville." she ground out, sliding out of the cab and wincing as the landing jarred her injury.

"I'm just trying to help, Lois. It's what nice people do." his annoyance evident

Lois just glared at him, feeling an arm go around her waist again, wishing there was some way she could make it into the hospital on her own. The last thing she wanted right then was Clark being nice to her after she had lost the little girl he had trusted her with.

He eased her down into a chair to wait while he signed her in and got the necessary paperwork. Putting the clipboard in her lap he knelt down in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. "You sure you're going to be ok? I could call Chloe or maybe my mom."

"Smallville" she growled in warning

"Ok. You're fine. I got it. Most people are fine when they have five inches of glass sticking out of their back, don't know why I bothered to ask." he pushed himself to his feet "I'm going to head back to the farm and meet the Sheriff there. I'll be back by later to check up on you, ok?"

"Don't bother, Smallville, I'll be fine." she said, purposely looking down at the paperwork she needed to fill out.

"I know, but I'll still be back." was his smug reply and before she could say anything else he was gone.

"Ugh, obnoxious farm boy." she muttered under her breath before returning to the clipboard.

It took almost an hour for them to dig all the glass out and even with them numbing the area around the wounds first it still hurt like hell. Only the biggest cut needed stitches and the nurse had just finished bandaging her when Clark appeared in the doorway.

"Lois, are you ok?" he said, coming to her side quickly

She ignored his question, her thoughts while they had been patching her up had been on the colossal failure she had made in keeping Maddie safe. First Lucy, now this little girl, Lois had no business being caregiver for anything other than maybe a house plant.

"I've screwed up a lot in my life but this ranks up there. That little girl was on my watch." she said bitterly, trying to push herself to a sitting position but found it proved to be difficult with the pain in her shoulder a throbbing ache now.

Clark rushed forward and helped her up "I already told you, there's nothing you could have done, I should have never left you two alone."

"Who's kidding who Smallville, if you had been there you would have been shredded beef."

Clark just hung his head.

"Look Clark she's gonna be fine. Chloe called me, they put out an Amber Alert and every cop in the state is looking for Maddie." and she wondered when the conversation had turned from her feeling guilty to her trying to make him feel better.

"Did you get a good look at the guy?"

Lois just shook her head "Like I told the Sheriff, mid 30s, sandy blonde hair, good-looking in that psycho killer kind of way." reaching up to rub at her shoulder as an intense throb shot through it, the painkillers wearing off.

He nodded his head "I just don't understand who would want to kidnap Maddie."

"Considering her dangerous disposition I'm guessing somebody who's pretty desperate to be with her."

Just then a nurse came in to help her get dressed and put her arm in a sling. Clark blushed and stammered that he was going to check in with Chloe and he'd be back later to pick her up and take her home.

"Your boyfriend's cute." the nurse said conversationally as she helped Lois get her shirt on

Lois was taken aback by her comment. Smallville. Her boyfriend. The thought was so absurd it was laughable.

"Ha. As if. He's not my boyfriend. I'm not his type." she protested

"Oh, well I'm sorry, he just seemed so concerned when he brought you in and then he came back to check on you..."

"He's just a friend." Lois said "And a giant pain my ass. No way could that ever, possibly be an option." she threw in, almost nervously. Where had that come from she thought to herself, a simple 'no' would have bee sufficient.

The nurse just smiled at her as if she had a secret and Lois gave her a glare. "I've got it from here, thanks." and snatched the sling out of her hands.

By the time she waited for her discharge papers and for her prescriptions to be filled she was anxious to get out of there and find out what had happened.

Clark was waiting for her outside the building when she stepped out. "Let's go. I've got a couch and some legal narcotics with my name on them." she bit out as she breezed past him.

He said nothing but as he caught up with her he grabbed her bag out of her good hand. Her head whipped towards him but as she caught his eye the exclamation she was about to shout died on her lips. His unspoken words said 'Let me do this.' and for some reason she relented.

During the drive he filled her in, that the man who had taken Maddie was actually her dad and he could cause glass to break as well, that it was him and not Maddie that had blown out the car windows. Lois thought she saw his jaw clench a bit as he told her the last part but she didn't question him about it. She still felt guilty about what had happened and how she had treated Maddie. When they arrived she tried to convince him she didn't need any help getting up to the apartment but he wasn't having any of it.

She unlocked the door and he walked in behind her "Remember, the doctor's told you to take it easy so you might have to lay off the arm wrestling. He went to place her bag on the kitchen counter but she grabbed it away from him much the same way he had taken in from her. They were on her turf now.

"My arm doesn't even hurt anymore. What hurts is knowing how badly I treated that poor girl. I had no doubt she was a cold blooded killer." she said sitting dejectedly on the couch.

Clark didn't participate in her pity party or berate her for what had happened. "Just goes to show you people aren't always who you think they are." he said as he busied himself in the kitchen getting her a glass of water.

"I have to give you credit Smallville, who would have thought you'd be such a natural with kids." she said as she got settled on the couch, grateful that he wasn't blaming her for what had happened to Maddie.

"Maddie's pretty special." he said with a smile

"So, what happens to her now? It can't be easy finding a family thats willing to live without windows."

"Maddie's going to go live with her grandmother who couldn't be happier. She didn't even know she had a granddaughter until now."

"Wow. She must be pretty brave." she said, glad to hear Maddie would have someone to take care of her.

"She sounds pretty excited. Kinda like my parents when they adopted me." he couldn't keep his grin from growing, his happiness for Maddie evident.

"But they didn't have to worry about their house getting destroyed." she said pointedly

"Well, he had his moments." came an unexpected voice from the door and she looked up to see Martha Kent sticking her head in the door.

She walked across the room and handed Lois a file folder "Since you're going to be bed-ridden for a few days I brought you some stuff to read."

Lois took the folder automatically, not understanding what Mrs. K was talking about.

"Thank you." she said

"The Chief of Staff for a state senator needs to be fully informed of all sides of the issues." Martha said

She saw Clark's quizzical look and knew it matched hers. "Wait a minute, you want me to be your Chief of Staff?"

"Mom..." Clark said and got up to face his mother "Are you sure you don't want to think this through."

Lois felt a sting at his words, did he not think she was capable?

But Martha came to her defense "If it weren't for Lois Lane you father would have never been elected and I wouldn't be in office. Besides, Lois, it's pretty clear you destiny lies far beyond a cappuccino maker." she said with a smile.

Lois was shocked but a warm feeling of pride filled her chest. She had liked working on Mr. Kent's campaign, she was good at it and she knew it. It would be an honor to serve as Martha's Chief of Staff.

"What do you think?" the senator asked

Lois paused for a long minute, knowing she was doing the right thing but wondering how this could change her life. "I'm in." she said with a large smile.

"I'm glad to hear it." Martha said, she bent down and put a motherly hand on Lois's cheek. "Get better soon dear. I'll call you tomorrow to work out the details but right now I've got to run."

Martha was almost out the door when she turned back and addressed her son "Take good care of my Chief of Staff, Clark."

Clark gave his mom a wave "No worries, Mom."

When he turned back Lois locked her gaze with his "Are you sure you don't want to think this through." she quoted back at him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she wasn't pleased.

Clark ran a nervous hand over the back of his neck. "Now, Lois..." he began "I'm sorry, it just took me by surprise. Mom hadn't mentioned it to me yet."

She didn't say anything, just kept her steely eyes on him, daring him to continue.

"But she's right, Dad would have never been elected without you." his voice had softened as he spoke about his father and he came back to sit on the table across from her. "I think you'll do a great job." his hand coming out to cover the one that wasn't in a sling

At the mention of Mr. Kent she dropped her gaze and took a deep breath. "Thanks." she said softly. Clark was probably the only one who knew how much his dad had meant to her.

Her eyes were moist when she looked back up and she needed to get this conversation back to safe ground. "You know what this means, Smallville." she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What?" he questioned,picking up on her playful tone.

"I'm going to be around a lot more."

Clark just dropped his head and she heard him mutter "What was my mother thinking."

"Well, someone has to keep you in line." she said, smugly

"And I suppose that someone has to be you." he answered

"Yup. And don't you forget it." she replied with a smile.

"As if you would let me." and she was rewarded with the Clark Kent million watt smile.

Sighing in contentment, she settled herself back on the couch and went to open the folder. Whatever was on her horizon she knew it was guaranteed to be interesting.


	4. Fragile Clark POV

Much like with Lois's POV this one was tough. In hindsight maybe this one would have been better showing their two POVs in one story? To be fair, there wasn't much to work with here. Not one of the better episodes.

Per request I'm going to watch 'Hypnotic' and decide if I can come up with anything, but if that doesn't work then the next episode will be 'Fade'.

Thanks for all the fabulous reviews! They're the reason I want to keep doing this.

Enjoy!

'**Fragile' Clark's POV**

Clark's thoughts were heavy as he headed back to the farm after meeting with Chloe. Life hadn't dealt little Maddie a fair hand and things seemed to be getting worse for the poor girl. He felt guilty about leaving her with Lois but figured they would be fine for a few hours. The social worker was supposed to be there soon and he was hoping to beat him there and tell Maddie bye before she left.

When he made the turn into the drive he knew something was wrong. Slamming on the brakes he could see two bodies on the ground. One he didn't recognize but the other was Lois. She wasn't unconscious but she didn't look so great either. He had to force himself not to superspeed but his knees still skidded a bit as he dropped down in front of her. "Lois!" he exclaimed, worry evident in his voice. He raised his arms to grab her but stopped just before he did, seeing the large shards of glass sticking out of her back.

Her hand came out to rest on his "I'm fine Smallville." she said and she must have noticed the incredulous look on his face. "Well, I'm not fine, but I'm better than that guy. Go check on him."

Clark glanced over to the social worker knowing he should do as she said but was hesitant to leave her.

"Go!" she shouted.

Clark got to his feet and approached the body. The man was sliced to pieces, glass everywhere including one large piece embedded in his neck. Clark felt quickly for a pulse but he knew he wouldn't find one. His eyes dropped to the ground as his stomach clenched, if Lois had been any closer when this happened....but he couldn't complete the thought.

He made his way back over to her "He didn't make it." he said gravely and saw her shut her eyes for a moment.

He laid his hand on her good arm "Lois, I'm so sorry I left you alone with her, what happened."

"It's ok, no one knew what was going to happen, although I did warn him not to put her anywhere near glass but does anyone listen to me? No. And look what happens."

He smiled at her rant, that was Lois for you, brash in the face of danger. "Where did she go?"

"There was another guy. After the windows exploded he pushed her back in the car and took off in it." Lois paused and dropped her gaze again and he knew she was blaming herself for what had happened.

"Hey." he said, squeezing her hand "You said yourself, no one could have known." using her own words against her.

Lois just glared at him.

"Let's get you to the hospital." going to help her up

But she protested, resisting his help "No. You need to call the cops or go after her I can wait."

Clark just looked at her, was she for real? "Lois. You've got shards of glass sticking out of your back. You're going to the hospital. I'll call the Sheriff on the way."

She was mumbling under her breath, probably calling him every name in the book as she went to push herself up to stand but then she swayed and his arm flashed out to grasp her around the waist and tried not to hit her bad arm. "Lois!"

He started to pick her up to carry her to the truck but she stopped him.

"Chill, Smallville. I'm fine. Just give me a minute." still clutching his arm to stay upright.

Clark didn't move even though all he wanted to do was get her into the truck as soon as possible.

Her grip loosened but there was no way he was going to risk her falling again.

"Let's go." she said and started in the direction of the truck.

Clark helped her into the cab and then raced to the other side. They didn't say much on the way there. He called the Sheriff and explained what had happened and agreed to meet them at the farm after dropping Lois at the hospital.

He pulled up in front of the emergency room and may have used a small burst of speed in order to open the door for Lois before she could.

"I can open a door, Smallville.' came her harsh response

Clark just shook his head, he could never get ahead with her "I'm just trying to help, Lois. It's what nice people do."

Lois shot him a glare but he ignored it and put an arm around her waist and helped her into a seat in the waiting area.

He signed her in and grabbed the paperwork from the nurse. Putting the clipboard in her lap he then knelt in front of Lois and put his hands on her knees. He didn't want to leave her here alone but he had to go meet the Sheriff. "You sure you're going to be ok? I could call Chloe or maybe my mom."

She just shot him another glare and growled "Smallville."

"Ok. You're fine. I got it." he replied and then let his concern get the better of him "Most people are fine when they have five inches of glass sticking out of their back, don't know why I bothered to ask." he didn't mean to get short with her but she had a way of pushing him to the edge.

Clark stood up "I'm going to head back to the farm and meet the Sheriff there. I'll be back later to check up on you, ok?"

Lois didn't look up from the paperwork in her lap, and he knew he was being dismissed. "Don't bother, Smallville, I'll be fine."

"I know, but I'll still be back." he threw back at her, hoping to at least get an eye roll out of her and before she could say anything he left.

But he did hear her mutter something about him being obnoxious before he got to the truck and couldn't help the grin that crossed his face.

Clark called Chloe on his way out, agreeing to meet with her so that he could fill her in on what she had found.

Maddie was in foster care because her birth mother had died when her windshield cracked in a freak accident. She had been shuffled through the system ever since, her father hadn't been found.

Clark headed back to the hospital to check on Lois and see if the Sheriff had any new information on the man who had taken Maddie.

A nurse directed him to the room where they were working on her and a doctor carrying a tray filled with bloody glass shards and gauze passed him in the doorway. He saw her lying on her stomach in a hospital gown struggling to raise herself off the table. "Lois, are you ok."

She acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued in her quest to right herself. "I've screwed up a lot in my life but this ranks up there. That little girl was on my watch."

Clark watched her for a moment more before rushing forward to help her up. How could she blame herself when he was the one at fault. "I already told you there is nothing you could have done, I should have never left you two alone."

"Who's kidding who Smallville, if you had been there you would have been shredded beef."

Clark said nothing, but he wished, for one brief moment that he could just tell her, let her know that he would have been just fine if that car had exploded in front of him, that if he had been there when it happened Lois would be fine right now.

She must have picked up on his hang-dog expression. "Look Clark she's gonna be fine. Chloe called me, they've put out an Amber Alert and every cop in the state is looking for Maddie."

Clark appreciated her attempt to make him feel better. "Did you get a good look at the guy?"

She shook her head "Like I told the Sheriff, mid 30s, sandy blonde hair, good looking in that psycho killer kind of way." she reached a hand back to rub at her injury and he felt another flash of guilt

"I just don't understand who would want to kidnap Maddie."

"Considering her dangerous disposition I'm guessing somebody who's pretty desperate to be with her."

He had his mouth open to respond but was cut off by a nurse coming in to help Lois get dressed. It hit him suddenly that she had been sitting only inches from him in nothing but a flimsy hospital gown and he gulped over the knot that formed in his throat. He was barely able to get a full word out as he told Lois he'd go check in with Chloe and be back later to pick her up. He couldn't back out of the room quick enough.

When he made it to the hallway he stood there for a moment, dazed. Where had that come from? Lois had never made him act like that before.

The next couple of hours were, tense, to say the least. Chloe discovered that the man who had taken Maddie from the farm was actually her father who had the same ability to control glass that she did. He had been in Belle Reve for her entire life for using his abilities to steal diamonds.

They had found her grandmother who didn't even know that Maddie existed. But a sketch at her house led them to the Talon where Maddie's father had hidden the diamonds in a window.

When Clark confronted him it came out that it had been him and not Maddie that had made the car windows explode, killing the social worker and injuring Lois. A flash of white hot rage had gone through him for a moment. This man had killed without thought and Lois had just been lucky enough to be at a distance. A matter of a few feet had saved her life. The thought that he could have arrived at the farm to find Lois dead or dying was at the front of his mind as he flung Maddie's father harder than necessary.

Clark arrived back at the hospital, following the cruiser that carried Maddie's father to get checked out before he was taken to the county jail.

He thought about going inside to meet up with Lois but was still rattled from the feelings he had had before and chose to wait for her outside instead.

He saw her before she saw him. Her gait was agitated, and her ponytail swung to match her strides. The blue sling her injured arm was cradled in stuck out like a flashing billboard to him, simultaneously filling him with relief that she hadn't been hurt worse and regret that he hadn't been there to keep her safe.

She had seen him then and she didn't even slow down to greet him "Let's go. I've got a couch and some legal narcotics with my name on them." was the only thing she said as she kept walking past him.

He didn't say anything in response, knowing better but as he jogged two quick steps to catch up with her he grabbed the bag from her good arm. Her head whipped around so fast he was concerned she had whiplash and her flashing eyes met his and for a moment he let her in again. He needed to do this and she needed to let him he said to her without words. And amazingly she let it go.

On the ride to the Talon he filled her in on what had been happening. She tried to get him to leave her off in front of the building but he just looked at her.

As they walked in the door he reminded her what she had been told at the hospital. "Remember, the doctor's told you to take it easy so you might have to lay off the arm wrestling." he went to place her bag on the counter but it was snatched out of his hands before he could and he got the message loud and clear. Her place. Her rules.

"My arm doesn't even hurt anymore. What hurts is knowing how badly I treated that poor girl. I had no doubt she was a cold blooded killer." her voice sounded tired as she settled herself on the couch.

He knew she felt bad about how things had gone with Maddie, but he also knew that Lois would have never done anything to intentionally hurt the girl. He reached into the kitchen cabinet and grabbed a glass. "Just goes to show you people aren't always who you think they are."

"I have to give you credit Smallville, who would have thought you'd be such a natural with kids."

He smiled, it felt good knowing she thought that of him "Maddie's pretty special." he said as he filled the glass with water and brought it over to her.

"So, what happens to her now? It can't be easy finding a family thats willing to live without windows."

"Maddie's going to go live with her grandmother who couldn't be happier. She didn't even know she had a granddaughter until now."

"Wow. She must be pretty brave."

Clark sat on the coffee table, across from her and grinned. "She sounds pretty excited. Kinda like my parents when they adopted me."

"But they didn't have to worry about their house getting destroyed." she said with a pointed look.

"Well, he had his moments." came the voice of his mother from the door.

She walked across the room and handed Lois a file folder. "Since you're going to be bed-ridden for a few days I brought you some stuff to read."

Lois took the folder but he could tell she was confused as to why his mom was giving it to her. "Thank you."

What his mom said next took him completely by surprise. "The Chief of Staff for a state senator needs to be fully informed of all sides of the issue."

He couldn't hide his shock and Lois looked the same.

"Wait a minute, you want me to be your Chief of Staff?" she said incredulously

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them "Mom.." he said warily "Are you sure you don't want to think this through?"

Lois's face dropped and he immediately felt bad for what he had said.

"If it weren't for Lois Lane you father would have never been elected and I wouldn't be in office." Martha said passionately "Besides, Lois, it's pretty clear your destiny lies far beyond a cappuccino maker." she said, giving Lois a warm smile.

Lois looked a little shell shocked and didn't answer right away.

"What do you think?" his mom asked.

"I'm in." she replied with a large smile.

"I'm glad to hear it." Martha put a hand on Lois's cheek "Get better soon dear. I'll call you tomorrow to work out the details but right now I've got to run."

She was almost out the door when she turned back "Take good care of my Chief of Staff, Clark." she commanded.

Clark waved "No worries, Mom."

When he turned back around and saw the dangerous glint in Lois's eyes he knew he was in for it. "Are you sure you don't want to think this through" she quoted sarcastically.

He gulped and ran a nervous hand over the back of his neck "Now, Lois...I'm sorry, it just took me by surprise. Mom hadn't mentioned it to me yet."

He was met with silence. She kept her steady gaze on him clearly expecting more than that as an apology "But she's right, Dad would have never been elected without you." he came back to sit on the table across from her. "I think you'll do a great job." he said as he reached out a hand to cover hers

Her eyes dropped when he had mentioned his dad, much like they always did. They tried to avoid bringing him up, it was still too painful most of the time. "Thanks." she whispered softly.

When she looked back up her eyes were moist but there was a smirk on her face. "You know what this means, Smallville."

"What." he said warily, not liking where this could be headed.

"I'm going to be around a lot more."

His head dropped dramatically in mock resignation and he muttered "What was my mother thinking."

"Well, someone has to keep you in line." came her smug explanation

"And I suppose that someone has to be you."

"Yup. And don't you forget it." she said smiling

"As if you would let me." he replied and then flashed her a full smile, enjoying these comfortable moments with her. This is what he liked most about his friendship with Lois. She was the only one he could banter with like this, the give and take was almost effortless, as long as he remembered that she always needed to come out on top.

He kept smiling as she settled back on the couch and made to open the folder in her lap. Lois Lane being around more couldn't be all bad, could it?


	5. Fade Lois POV

This one was soooo much easier to write than 'Fragile'. I do go a bit A/U here and there and make up stuff that didn't happen. But it could have! Hope you enjoy. I'll be working on Clark's POV soon. And I haven't forgotten about 'Hypnotic', just haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

'**Fade' Lois's POV**

The loud music pulsated around her making it hard to hear over the din. As she stood at the bar and put an extra lime in her drink she thought about how this was the first real fun she'd had in a long while. Being the Chief of Staff for a state senator didn't leave a lot of free time, but Martha had sworn she didn't need her tonight and to go have fun and she wasn't going to ask twice.

Graham seemed like a nice enough guy. He certainly was cute and incredibly wealthy which didn't hurt either, but the guy was cocky as hell and she hadn't quite figured out if it was the good kind of cocky or the bad kind of cocky. She thought that this party would be a good place to find out. She didn't really have time for a relationship right now as it was but...if the right guy happened along...

And then suddenly there was a warm hand on her shoulder, she turned at Graham's touch to see. Smallville? What the hell was he doing here?

His face looked just as shocked as hers. She could feel a flush rising and she hoped the dim lighting was enough to keep it from being noticed.

"Lois." he said, in a voice that was both a statement and a question

She arched an eyebrow and gave a little shrug "Smallville."

"We met out at your house this morning." Graham said, sounding pleased with himself. "Couldn't disappear without seeing her again." shooting her a blinding smile

Lois couldn't help but smile back but was also extremely self conscious that Clark was there. She caught Clark's eye again and he didn't look pleased.

"Lois. Can I talk to you for a sec." he said raising an arm to usher her away with him.

And a flash of anger went through her. How dare he! She could see whoever she wanted, Clark Kent seal of approval or not. "How about later." she said with a forced smile, hoping he caught on.

"It's fine." said Graham amicably "I'll be right back" before stepping away and leaving them alone.

"What are you doing here!" they both blurted out at the same time.

"Lois" he said, almost pleadingly

"Look Clark, I happen to actually like this guy so can you do me this one favor and pretend not to know me." ok, so she may have exaggerated her feelings for Graham a bit but Clark didn't need to know that.

"Lois." he began in that cajoling voice that meant he was going to try and talk her out of something but she wasn't going to have any of that tonight.

"No!" she said sharply, cutting him off and when he made a move again to speak she reprimanded him like he was Shelby with a quick 'Ah' and then stalked away hoping this time he'd get the hint.

She was still fuming when she found a chair in the corner from which she could sit an cool down. Sipping on her drink she saw Graham approach Clark and take him out towards the balcony but he didn't stay out there with him, hmmm, that was weird. A woman went up to her date and Lois was about to get up when she smiled and headed out to the balcony as well.

Graham came over and found her, apologizing if things were weird between her and Clark.

"It's fine. Clark just doesn't get off the farm much."

"Are you two..." he trailed off, implication obvious

She sputtered on her drink so bad he had to clap her back and wait until the coughing stopped. "Me. And Smallville. No way." she took another sip, why did people always assume that.

"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on another man's turf. We've got a code you know."

"I'm turf free at the moment." she said with a smile, hoping to get this conversation back to anything that didn't involve Clark.

"Who was your friend?" she asked

"Oh, Gia? Well, since Clark didn't accept the tv or theatre system I thought I would try another approach in order to thank him."

And for the second time that night Lois choked on her drink. "What?" she exclaimed "You sent a...a...that woman out there to...with Clark!" she realized her voice was raising in pitch but there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it. Why did this bother her so much? Clark was free to do whatever he wanted or whomever he wanted. It was no business of hers.

Graham looked at her with a tilt of his head "You sure there's nothing going on with you two?"

She merely shot him a glare and he chuckled. Just then they saw Clark coming back into the apartment looking more flustered than she had ever seen him before. Always the Boy Scout she thought, but a wave of relief flooded through her and she had to force herself not to smile.

"Excuse me for a second, would you?" he said quickly before getting up and heading towards Clark.

She wished she could hear what they were saying. She'd definitely be grilling Clark later, no way could she pass up an opportunity to watch him squirm. There was this certain shade of red she could get him to if she pushed just enough. Lois couldn't help the smirk that crossed her face at the thought.

As she waited for Graham to join her she absently chewed on her straw and people watched. Her gaze kept going back to Clark and Graham however. Clark didn't look too happy but eventually she saw him and Graham part ways.

Graham headed back her direction and she gave him a smile as he approached. "You keep running off on me like that I'm going to think there's something wrong." she said with a grin.

"I'm so sorry. I promise I won't leave your side the rest of the night." he said imploringly "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

The music had changed to a softer more sensual beat "You could dance with me." she suggested slyly

"It would be my pleasure." he said and held out his hand to her, pulling her close.

But the longer they danced the more she wished she had suggested another activity. Graham apparently didn't understand that when she repeatedly moved his hands from her ass she meant it. Lois was growing annoyed and a touch concerned.

He reached out a hand and played with her hair before letting the hand trail down her neck, she reached up and grabbed his hand before it could go any lower. "Maybe I should get going." she said, trying to be diplomatic

"Not yet. You haven't seen the view from the balcony." and he began to weave his way through the throng of people pulling her along in his wake.

The night had grown chilly and she felt goosebumps break out on her arms almost immediately. She walked up to the railing and admired the view. He was right, it was impressive.

Arms suddenly encircled her waist and Graham pulled her back against him "I thought you would like it" he murmured, trailing kisses down her neck.

Ok, this was getting a little too fast a little too soon for her liking. She was the one who called the shots and the one who ok'd exactly how far the making out would go. She was more put off by his audacity than what he was doing.

Lois squirmed out of his grasp and turned to face him. "Graham..." she began trying to let him down gently.

"Shhh." he whispered and then captured her mouth with his. Hands once again going where she didn't want them. He held her close to him and she felt a moment of panic when she couldn't get him to let go.

She tore her mouth away from his, angry "Hey. You mind slowing down a bit."

He looked at her quizzically and then had the good sense to lessen his hold and step back a few inches. "I'm sorry. I got carried away a bit." he looked contrite "You're just so beautiful I couldn't help myself."

Lois knew this was a line but he had stopped when she asked which was the most important test. "Just don't let it happen again." she replied with a smile.

"Is it ok if I kiss you?" he said smirking

She pressed her lips against his as an answer and was actually enjoying it until suddenly she heard her name "Lois." said a rough voice

She pulled back from Graham and shut her eyes briefly before unleashing the full fury of her glare on the stupid farm boy standing three feet from her. "Smallville" she growled, so low she was surprised it was audible.

"Sorry to interrupt." he said and sounding anything but sorry "Mom just called. She needs you back at the farm, some last minute vote."

"It's ok Lois. Duty calls, I know how that is." Graham said, not sounding at all put out. "I'll call you soon." he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and she swore she saw Clark's nostrils flare.

"Thanks. I had a nice time tonight." she said, trying to salvage what dignity she could with Clark standing right there and not looking like he was even thinking about giving them some privacy.

As soon as she stepped away from Graham, Clark's hand shot out and clasped her upper arm, it didn't hurt but she also had a pretty good idea she wouldn't be able to get out of it if she tried. The next thing she knew all she could do was keep her feet moving and try not to trip in her heels as Clark propelled her through the crowd not slowing down until they reached the elevator.

As soon as the doors shut she saw him open his mouth out the corner of her eye. "Don't" she commanded, she didn't want to hear one thing he had to say right then.

The trip down from the penthouse was excruciating and of course Clark's truck was parked three blocks from Graham's building. She tapped out an angry tattoo with her heels as they walked in silence.

Clark didn't make a second attempt to speak but halfway to the parking lot she did suddenly feel the weight of his suit jacket settle over her shoulders. She hadn't realized how cold it had gotten and the wind whipped through the streets making it feel even colder.

She wasn't a tiny wisp of a girl like Lana or even Chloe but Clark's jacket enveloped her completely. It was warm. Very warm. And it smelled divine, she couldn't deny that.

They walked in silence for a couple of more minutes before she finally couldn't ignore it any longer. "Thank you." she said in a short clipped tone. She was still pissed.

He wisely didn't say anything to her.

The trip home was equally quiet. He tried turning on the radio to alleviate some of the tension but she reached right over and flipped it off simply out of principle.

Finally he broke the silence "I'm sorry Lois. He didn't seem like he was listening to you and I didn't want you to get hurt." he had that dammed hangdog expression of his that she couldn't ignore.

"I can handle myself. I don't need you rushing in all 'knight in shinning plaid'." she bit back. She knew he only did it because he was just that kind of guy and some part of her did understand that but GOD was it annoying.

He just nodded and then seemed to stop and start his next sentence five times before she finally snapped "Spit it out, Smallville."

He looked at her sheepishly and gave her a small smile "Mom didn't call. There isn't a vote." he winced, waiting for what was sure to come.

"There isn't a vote." she repeated, voice controlled "There isn't a vote?" now, not so controlled. she smacked his arm several times each time repeating his words. "There. Isn't. A. Vote!"

Lois blew hair out of her eyes and settled back into the seat. "Not another word. Not one more word."

When he pulled up in front of the Talon she didn't even look at him, just slipped out the door, leaving his suit jacket pooled in the seat she had just vacated.

Lois did damage control in the morning, calling Graham and apologizing. He was completely gracious but mentioned he was supposed to be leaving town that day and hoped that he could call her the next time she was in town.

It was to her great surprise when Graham appeared at the Talon that afternoon while she was getting her afternoon pick me up. He was charming and yeah, a little bit cocky, trying to woo her with a taste of the high rolling lifestyle by inviting her to go with him to a concert via private jet. She really wasn't that type of girl but he was into her compromise and agreed to get her favorite burgers to have on the plane. The incident from last night was fading fast from her memory and she was getting excited about her date.

A few more phone calls for the senator and then she was free and clear for the evening. When she got back to her apartment she headed straight for the bathroom. A Coldplay concert in Chicago meant at least a two hour prep.

She was well into hour two and on her second round of deep conditioning when she swore she heard a noise in the bathroom. She went still for a moment listening hard but didn't hear a thing. Then again, another sound and it looked like the door moved. That alone was enough to get her out of the tub. "Hello" she said, peeking her head out of the curtain but there was no one there and the door was shut. But then she saw a shadow on the other side of the door.

Her stomach dropped and a knot formed in her throat but she knew she had to investigate her intruder. Lois stepped out of the tub and grabbed the first thing that had any heft to it, a battery operated back massager and crept to the door as quiet as possible. She raised the makeshift weapon above her head and wrenched the door open in one swift move. And had the shock of her life. On the other side stood Clark Kent.

His eyes went wide with shock and then they dropped and went even wider and Lois suddenly remembered she was naked.

She didn't say a word, just slammed the door in his face and died a thousand deaths. Clark had seen her naked. Clark had seen her naked. This one sentence ran over in her head as though it was on a continuous loop.

Grabbing the nearest towel she wrapped it around herself as tight as possible and then headed out of the bathroom, fully intending to pretend like that did not just happen.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, still holding onto the back massager

To his credit, Clark was able to speak in full sentences. "Lois,I've been calling, knocking on the door." he said in an exasperated tone "How long have you been in there?"

"An hour, an hour and a half." she said dismissively, still looking around her apartment for the intruder.

"What?" he said in surprise

"Hey." she said, spinning to face him "You weren't just in my bathroom were you?" maybe it was just Clark's shadow she had seen.

"Lois I just walked in the apartment."

"Well thats weird because I could have sworn there was someone in there watching me."

Clark's eyebrows met his hairline and a worried look crossed his face. "Graham" he said heavily

Unbelievable she thought. "You're blaming Graham? Thats pathetic."

"Lois if you see him you have to stay away." but she cut him off, angry.

"Why do you feel the need to lob a grenade at every guy that I date?" but a funny look crossed his face

"Quiet" he said in a voice that took her back a bit.

"He's here." Clark said before taking off out of the apartment.

Seriously. Did he just do that? Did he just walk in here and tell her to stay away from Graham for no good reason and then just take off? Lois stalked back into the bathroom and tossed the back washer on the counter, beyond annoyed at him right then.

She checked the clock and saw she now only had about twenty minutes before Graham would be there. 'Time to pick up the pace, Lane.' she said before rushing to finish getting ready. Clark was going to have an awful lot of explaining to do the next time she saw him.

She was just finishing her last once over in the mirror when Chloe came barreling through the door, frantic. "Lois!" she yelled on entering. "Hey, where's Clark?" she demanded when she saw her.

"I have no clue. He just busted in here, warned me about Graham and then took off."

"Do you have any idea where he went?" her cousin asked, worry evident in her voice.

"No I wasn't exactly paying attention." she said, crossing over to a chair to pick up her jacket. " And you know what to be perfectly honest I am starting to get a little tired of him thinking I need to get his approval to go on a simple date. Can you please tell me why Clark Kent is so obsessed with my love life?"

But Chloe wasn't reacting to her rant, instead she looked even more worried than when she had first came in.

"Lois." Chloe said gravely "Graham's a killer. A professional hitman"

She took a minute for it to sink in. What a surprise she thought bitterly and rolled her eyes. "Of course he is"

"We need to find Clark." Chloe said, grabbing her arm and heading for the door.

They got to the alley behind the Talon directed there by one of the baristas.

"Clark!" Chloe yelled as they stepped into the street.

"Smallville" she added

"Clark!" Chloe shouted again

"Waitress said he came out back, he couldn't have gotten that far." she supplied

Chloe had already pulled out her phone and was dialing it "You'd be surprised" she said sardonically.

"Hey Smallville!" she yelled again, looking down the street as best she could in the dark

Chloe was clutching her phone when they heard a ringing. They started walking slowly down the alley, the ringing getting louder "Clark?" Chloe said hesitantly

The ringing got louder the further down the alley they went and they both broke into a jog as they approached a construction area.

"Clark" "Smallville" they called

There, in a massive pile of dirt was Clark's phone and then she saw a sight that made her stomach drop. Clark's tell-tale red jacket, buried in the dirt.

"Oh god." she breathed and then both she and Chloe were digging frantically. Hot tears were forming in her eyes as they desperately did everything they could to get him out of there. Finally his face appeared. "Come on Clark. Come on." she pleaded "Wake up." she brushed dirt off his face and out of his hair, her hands swiping over his face over and over and then he breathed and she could too.

He blinked up at them, confused. She ran a hand over his face again and let it rest on the side of his jaw, helping him to hold his head up.

He looked at both of them and then locked eyes with Chloe "He's going after Lana and Lex." before letting his head sink back down, obviously still hurt.

Chloe looked around for her phone but couldn't find it in all the mess. "I'm going to go call the hospital. Maybe I can get ahold of one of Lex's security guards." she scrambled to her feet and ran back towards the Talon.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." Lois said softly continuing to brush dirt and dust out of his hair, her hands needing something to do. "I didn't know Graham was a killer. But I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Seems I'm destined to go from one psycho to another. Lois Lane does not get to have a normal boyfriend." she didn't realize she had been rambling until his hand came up to grab hers.

"It's ok, Lois, I'm just glad he didn't get a chance to hurt you." his voice sounded stronger "And I'm sure there is a guy out there strong enough to take you on."

Considering he had almost died she let him get away with that. "Strong, huh?" she said smiling down at him.

He returned her smile and tugged on her hand "Help me up?" he said

She jumped to her feet and held her hands out, pulling as hard as she could to haul up six feet three inches of farm boy. He swayed for a second and she wrapped her arms around his waist in case she needed to catch him but he recovered. His arms came up to pull her to him "Thanks for the save, Lane." he whispered and then stepped back as Chloe trotted up to them.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't get through." she said, worry and disappointment heavy in her voice.

"I've got to go stop him." Clark said

"What. Smallville, no! You were just buried alive." she protested

"I feel ok, Lois. Swear." he cast what seemed like a desperate look in Chloe's direction

"We'll follow you." Chloe said, ignoring the look Lois sent her way. "Come on." she grabbed Lois's arm and before she could protest dragged her to the car.

When she and Chloe arrived at the hospital the place was in lock down. Lex had managed to take Graham down himself and save he and Lana. Clark was standing dejectedly in front of the building, red and blue lights flashing everywhere.

"You sure you're ok, Smallville?" she asked

"Yeah. I feel fine, I wasn't under there that long." he said, giving her a half smile

"I'm glad Lana and Lex are ok." needing something to say.

He stood, just staring and his expression never changed. "She's seeing him now. She doesn't know that I know."

Lois sucked in a sharp breath. That bitch! So much for friendship, she thought. "I'm sorry, Smallville." laying a hand on his arm.

"She doesn't know Lex like I do. I don't think he can be trusted."

"Unfortunately you can't make decisions for her. This may be a lesson she has to learn on her own."

He just nodded, lost in thought.

"Take it from someone who knows." a trace of bitterness returning to her voice

"You've got a pretty steep learning curve though." he said with a nudge to his arm

She grinned and nudged him back.

"That I do, Smallville. That I do."

They were silent for a moment and then a sudden thought hit her and she turned on him faster than humanly possible. Her finger was inches from his nose "Let's make one thing very, very clear. You mention to anyone that you saw me naked and there will be hell to pay. Got it?"

He held her gaze and had enough sense of self preservation to not smile "Got it." he said in all seriousness and then added "We're even." before turning to walk away.

She was left sputtering and as she watched him head for his truck she thought about going after him to give him a piece of her mind but decided between being buried alive and finding out Lana was with Lex he'd probably had enough for one. "You get a reprieve, Smallville. For now." she said quietly and then went to find her cousin.


	6. Fade Clark POV

Thanks to everyone for the fantastic reviews! Please enjoy and let me know what you think.

'**Fade' Clark's POV**

This was definitely not his scene. He had never been comfortable with loud crowds, there were too many people to be aware of, an accidental bump with his elbow or a misstep would leave the unfortunate individual with more than just a bruise. He also never knew what to do with his hands and inevitably came off as a bumbling farm boy.

He spotted Graham near the bar and made his way over.

"Hey there Clark." Graham said jovially, clapping a hand on his back "Glad you could make it. Come on, I'd like you to meet my date."

There were several women at the bar, but they all had their backs to them. Graham reached an arm out to get one's attention and when she turned around Clark was shocked. It was Lois.

"Lois." he said, both saying her name and asking her what she was doing there at the same time.

She arched an eyebrow at him and gave a little shrug "Smallville." she said, revealing nothing

"We met out at your house this morning." Graham explained "Couldn't disappear without seeing her again." he said with a smile and slid a hand around her waist.

Clark felt a sudden urge to rip Graham's arm off and had to tamp that down. He caught Lois's eye and could tell she wanted nothing more than for him to be swallowed by the floor. "Lois, can I talk to you for a sec."

Her eyes flashed dangerously "How about later." she said, her smile obviously fake.

But Graham interjected "It's fine, I'll be right back." he said and stepped away smoothly

"What are you doing here!" they both said at the same time.

He wanted to tell her that he didn't completely trust Graham and that she should be careful with him "Lois." he began

"Look Clark, I happen to actually like this guy so can you do me this one favor and pretend not to know me." and he winced a little at her tone

"Lois." he tried again but didn't get another word out that time either.

"No!" she said sharply and then cut him off a third time with a short 'Ah!' before stalking away.

Graham joined him again and Clark made his excuses, he didn't feel much like being there anymore, but his host wouldn't hear of it. "Come on, you've got to check out the view from the balcony before you go." he said and led them into the cool night air.

It was a nice view, he had to admit and it was quiet, which was a welcome change. "Enjoy yourself." Graham said and went back to see to his other guests.

Clark was feeling about as low as anyone could feel and still be functioning. Seeing Lana and Lex together had been excruciating. The break up with Lana had come at a bad time and he had second thoughts on a daily basis. But it looked like she had moved on. He just wondered if he could do the same.

The sound of high heels tapped out an approach behind him and for a moment he hoped it was Lois. But it was a woman he had never seen before. She introduced herself as Gia, a friend of Graham's.

Suave, collected, cool, these were not words one used to describe Clark Kent when it came to the ladies. He was lucky to get out more than one syllable and sentences were an amazing accomplishment. But this woman, she was coming on strong.

And the next thing he knew she was kissing him. His eyebrows shot to his hairline and he stood stock still, having no clue what to do.

When she pulled away he had a ridiculous grin on his face. Shock making him feel light headed. "I don't even know you." he said, half laughing at how ludicrous the situation was.

"Thats ok. Graham warned me you might be shy." she said with a seductive laugh as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck again.

"Graham?" he asked, confused

"He wants you to have a good time."

And then it hit him, just exactly what was going on there.

"I'm sorry, I think there's some kind of misunderstanding." he said, trying to be as polite as he could "I..um...I should go." and before she could say another word he walked away as fast as he could with out superspeeding.

He ran into Graham again and tried to get away, Clark was angry he had thought that giving him a woman was an appropriate way to repay a debt.

But Graham took in in stride as he seemed to do with everything.

Clark looked around briefly for Lois and saw her sitting in a corner, sipping her drink. He was ready to go but it wouldn't hurt to hang around a while longer in case Lois needed a ride. His mother would expect nothing less.

Grabbing a soda at the bar he found a seat where he could see the majority of the room and tried not to focus on Lois and Graham but his eyes kept slipping back to them. Lois seemed to be enjoying herself he thought, still not sure he liked how Graham was looking at her.

He watched as she sat her drink down and Graham pulled her into his arms. They were barely swaying to the music. He couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the guy's hand go lower than it should and Lois immediately redirect it to a more safe location. However, when he saw him try the same move three more times and Lois getting more agitated he thought about doing something about it. But Lois took care of it, though she still didn't look pleased.

Clark didn't say anything as they passed in front of him, heading out to the balcony but as soon as they stepped outside he used his x-ray vision to keep an eye out.

They stood, admiring the view of the city but Graham couldn't seem to keep his hands off her for long. He saw them kissing and hands groping, mostly his, he thought harshly, all the while there was a rising tide in him that felt a lot like jealousy, but that was ridiculous. He quashed that down, telling himself that he was only concerned about Lois's well being from a friendship standpoint.

But then he saw Lois pull back and her body language didn't exactly seem like she was enjoying what was going on and before he even knew what he was doing he was standing on the balcony as well, only a few feet away.

"Lois." his voice was rough, he was barely able to keep his emotions under control.

Lois Lane had never looked at him like that before. She had been mad with him more times than he could count but this was on an entirely new level. "Smallville." she ground out, an octave lower than her normal voice.

"Sorry to interrupt." lying through his teeth. Then he panicked, he needed a cover. "Mom just called. She needs you back at the farm, some last minute vote." he gave himself a mental pat on the back, work was about the only thing that could get Lois to leave without question.

"Duty calls." Graham said as if Clark's presence didn't bother him in the slightest. "I know how that is." he smiled at Clark and then gave Lois a quick kiss "I'll call you soon."

Clark's jaw tightened and he took in a deep breath when he saw Graham kiss her.

"Thanks. I had a nice time tonight." Lois said, pointedly ignoring Clark.

It crossed his mind that he should maybe step back and let them say their good-byes in private but then he remembered Graham groping Lois and decided that wasn't going to happen.

As soon as Lois took a step away from her date Clark reached his hand out and grasped her upper arm and started heading for the elevator.

He knew he owed her some explanation but when he opened his mouth to speak she cut him off "Don't!"

He figured it would be better if he listened to her and kept his thoughts to himself. The walk to the truck stretched out before them as if it were three miles instead of three blocks.

Every step she took tapped out exactly how angry she was. He glanced over at her a few times, hoping to catch her eye but she remained resolute in her attempt to pretend that he didn't exist. He did see her shiver, however and dropped his suit jacket over her shoulders without a sound. He half expected her to shrug it off and let it fall on the ground but she kept it on and after a couple of minutes she thanked him even though he could tell she was still mad.

The truck ride home was uncomfortable and awkward to say the least, the one time he attempted to ease some of the tension by turning on the radio she flicked it off immediately.

They were almost to Smallville when he decided he was already in trouble so he might as well just go all in. "I'm sorry Lois. He didn't seem like he was listening to you and I didn't want you to get hurt." he did feel bad about upsetting her and he hoped she could see that he was genuinely contrite.

"I can handle myself. I don't need you rushing in all 'knight in shinning plaid'."

He nodded, having heard all this before. He knew what he would say next would spin her right into the upper atmosphere if possible. He opened his mouth to start the sentence but kept stopping himself, wanting to say it in the best way possible.

"Spit it out, Smallville." she snapped

He looked at her, hoping she wouldn't be too mad and gave her a small smile. "Mom didn't call. There isn't a vote." and automatically winced against the inevitable onslaught.

She was quiet for a moment, which just meant this was going to be really bad. "There isn't a vote." she repeated, without yelling, then again "There isn't a vote?"

There was the yelling. Now would come the hitting.

Each time she said a word she hit him in the arm "There. Isn't. A. Vote!"

He couldn't imagine how mad she'd be if she knew the blows didn't hurt.

She settled back down in her seat, but wouldn't look his direction. "Not another word. Not one more word."

The silence was overwhelming the last bit of the drive into town. He pulled up in front of the Talon but she didn't even look at him. He knew better than to get out and open the door for her and without a sound she slipped from the cab and left his jacket lying in a heap on the seat.

He let his head rest on the steering wheel for a second. Between seeing Lana and Lex together and now Lois being so mad at him, he didn't think this day could get any worse. He sighed heavily and pointed the truck towards home, hoping his mom didn't ask him how his night had been.

He had been wrong about the day not getting worse. Chloe called him late that evening to tell him that Lex had been attacked and was at the hospital. When he arrived at his room the sight of Lana sitting vigil at his bedside made him blanche. He tried to stay detached, asked how Lex was and what had happened and when she described the attacker he wasn't as surprised as he should have been to recognize that it had to be Graham.

He headed to Graham's apartment in the morning intending to confront him about the attack.

"Party's over." he heard as he walked into the penthouse apartment "You know Lois pretty well, is she a candy or flowers type of girl?" Graham asked smugly

You're never going to find out, was the thought that crossed Clark's mind but he pointedly ignored him "You tried to kill Lex."

"Me? Why would I do that." he answered lightly

"You have some sick idea you'd be doing me a favor." Clark said forcefully

"Well, you do have to admit, if Lex was out of the picture Lana would be free as a bird." Graham said smoothly as he wandered away from Clark

"I'm taking you to the police." Clark said just before Graham grabbed a heavy sculpture off a nearby pedestal and swung it as hard as he could. Without thinking he threw up his hand to block it, sending shards in all directions.

Graham looked at him in surprise. "Guess I'm not the only one with a secret." and then he disappeared from view.

Clark tried tracking him but had no success. He headed to the Planet to update Chloe and see if she could help figure out who this guy really was.

A half an hour later he was feeling even worse about everything. He had saved a killer. A serial killer at that. Chloe had discovered there was nothing on Graham at all, he simply didn't exist according to every records search she could find. But his particular ability seemed to match the M.O of a criminal on the most wanted list.

Chloe's eyes had gotten huge when she remembered that Lois was supposed to be going on a date with Graham later that evening. A slice of fear went through him and he immediately headed out of the Planet while Chloe tried her cousin on the phone.

When he got to the Talon he stood outside her door calling her cell but all it did was go to voice mail. Then he started knocking on the door. He did this for ten minutes before whispering an apology and snapping the knob off in his hand.

Lois wasn't anywhere to be seen but then he heard the sound of the shower turning off. he had just raised his hand to knock on the bathroom door when it opened suddenly and he saw a sight he never expected to see in his lifetime. Lois Lane, naked.

He tried not to drop his eyes but it was if they were being controlled by someone else. She was naked. The door slammed in his face and he could do nothing but stand there dumbstruck for a long minute. He could have sworn he lost time and then Lois was there again, this time in a towel and brandishing what looked like a back scrubber.

"What are you doing here?" she screeched

He regained control of his voice "Lois, I've been calling, knocking on the door. How long have you been in there?"

She walked away, stalking around the apartment as if she were hunting something "An hour, an hour and a half." she said as if that were a perfectly normal amount of time to spend in the shower

"What?" he exclaimed

"Hey!" she said sharply as she whirled to face him "You weren't just in my bathroom were you?"

"Lois I just walked in the apartment."

"Well thats weird because I could have sworn there was someone in there watching me."

Clark was on alert now, Graham had gotten to her before he had caught him "Graham" he said in explanation

"You're blaming Graham? Thats pathetic." Lois replied, annoyance obvious

"Lois if you see him you have to stay away." how was he going to convince her that this guy was bad news.

"Why do you feel the need to lob a grenade at every guy that I date?" she said exasperated, but before he could explain himself he heard something else in the apartment with them.

"Quiet" he said, ignoring her half angry half confused look. He could hear something and then ever so gently the curtains in the hallway outside the apartment rustled and he picked up on a heartbeat.

Clark rushed out the door and focused on the sound of the heartbeat. Then suddenly one of the waitress looked like she had been pushed but there was no one there and the door to the back swung open by itself.

When he reached the alley Graham was waiting at the end of it near a construction area.

He supersped to him and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket but immediately felt the all too familiar pain of kryptonite.

Graham held out a chunk of the meteor rock "Amazing what you can find out when you're a fly on the wall."

Clark felt his knees giving out on him as the pain grew and he couldn't stop himself from collapsing to the ground.

"These meteors that fell from the sky the day I drove through town. They might hurt you, but they gave me the greatest life I could ever ask for."

It hurt to breathe, and he was gasping when he spoke "You were in Smallville the day of the meteor shower."

"Luckiest day of my life." Graham said smirking "Think using your powers to be a hero is a rush. Nothing beats using them to kill."

"I saved your life." he tried, one last ditch effort to appeal to any bit of humanity Graham might have in him.

"You should have taken the plasma." he replied cooly, kneeling next to him "But now that my identity is in jeopardy I have no choice. I have to get rid of you, Lex, and Lana."

"No!" he said desperately, Lana may have hurt him but she didn't deserve this.

"They saw who I was Clark. In my line of work you don't leave loose ends."

The pain was past excruciating now and he knew he wouldn't be conscious for much longer. "You'll never get away with it."

Graham smirked "I always do." and then raised the fist holding the kryptonite and the image of it rushing towards his face was the last thing he remembered.

A frantic voice calling his name brought him to. It sounded like Lois, but from far away. Then he felt hands on him pulling and pushing, tugging, brushing and he tasted dirt and then his head was free. He blinked and tried to focus, two blurry images were before him and then it cleared. Lois and Chloe both looking worried. Lois was brushing dirt off his hair and face and then her hand rested along his jaw and he felt her supporting his head.

His eyes locked with Chloe "He's going after Lana and Lex." and then a wave of dizziness hit him and he let his head fall back.

He heard Chloe talk about calling the hospital and then scrambling up to use the Talon's phone to call.

Lois had continued her ministrations of clearing the dirt off of him. Her hands were everywhere, in his hair, over his forehead, brushing off his cheek, she didn't even seem to be paying attention to what she was doing.

Her voice was soft when she spoke and had a bit of a tremor to it "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." hands again reaching out to brush his cheek "I didn't know Graham was a killer. But I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Seems I'm destined to go from one psycho to another. Lois Lane does not get to have a normal boyfriend." he wasn't even sure she knew she was talking aloud the way she was rambling.

The longer he laid there the stronger he felt and when he spoke his voice no longer sounded weak "It's ok, Lois, I'm just glad he didn't get a chance to hurt you." he paused to take a deep breath, testing to see if it hurt. "And I'm sure there is a guy out there strong enough to take you on." he purposely threw her a bone in hopes she would snap out of her funk.

But she just smiled, acknowledging what he had done for her "Strong, huh?" she asked

He smiled back but knew they needed to get out of there and get to the hospital in time to stop Graham. "Help me up?" he asked, tugging on her hand.

She hopped to her feet and held her hands out and he let her pull him a bit even though he was feeling almost back to normal. But when he was upright he did feel disoriented for a second and her arms wrapped around his waist to provide support. He pulled her to him, as if compelled to by some outside force "Thanks for the save, Lane." he whispered into her hair, echoing what she had said to him a few weeks ago.

He stepped back from her just as Chloe joined them. "I'm sorry." she said "I couldn't get through."

"I've got to stop him." Clark said

"What? Smallville, no! You were just buried alive." Lois protested. It wasn't going to be easy to get away from her.

"I feel ok, Lois. Swear." he didn't know what else to do or say that could get her to back down. He looked to Chloe in desperation, hoping that she could come up with something that would help.

"We'll follow you." Chloe said suddenly and then before he knew it she had grabbed Lois by the arm and was heading towards her car.

By the time he got to the hospital he thought he may have been too late. He heard gunfire and raced to the hall that Lex's room was on. Through the door he saw Graham, bleeding from a gunshot wound, raise his gun and fire it at Lex and Lana.

Clark swooped in and grabbed the bullet and then watched as Graham fell to the ground, dead.

Lana's words cut him deeper than a kryptonite blade as he heard her thank Lex for saving her life. Watching them console each other left an icy ball in his stomach and his chest felt constricted. He couldn't bear to see anymore.

The hospital was put on lockdown and he zipped outside to wait for Chloe and Lois.

He knew she was there before he could see her.

"You sure you're ok, Smallville?" she asked

No, he felt like saying, no I'm not ok at all.

But he gave her a half a smile "Yeah. I feel fine, I wasn't under there that long." and with that he wasn't lying. He really did feel fine physically.

She was quiet for a moment "I'm glad Lana and Lex are ok."

His stomach clenched at their names and a well of emotions rose up in him so strong he knew he needed to get rid of some of it. "She's seeing him now. She doesn't know that I know." he said suddenly, not sure why he had choose to tell Lois this bit of information.

He heard her suck in a sharp breath and mutter something that was probably not very flattering "I'm sorry, Smallville." she said gently and laid a hand on his arm

"She doesn't know Lex like I do. I don't think he can be trusted." he said dejectedly

"Unfortunately you can't make decisions for her. This may be a lesson she has to learn on her own."

He nodded, knowing she was right but hating that he really couldn't do anything about it.

"Take it from someone who knows." she said and he could tell that her latest guy being a serial killer had taken its toll.

"You've got a pretty steep learning curve though." he said and nudged her arm hoping to get a smile.

And he was victorious. She grinned and nudged him back "That I do, Smallville. That I do."

They stood side by side in companionable silence until suddenly and without warning Lois turned on him, eyes flashing and finger waving "Let's make one thing very, very clear. You mention to anyone that you saw me naked and there will be hell to pay. Got it?"

He didn't back down from her glare but he also didn't say anything regarding 'the incident'. "Got it." he said as gravely as possible before throwing her a smile "We're even." he said and began to walk away before she could see him blush. Pleased that he had managed to get the last word in with Lois, for once. Maybe there was something to be salvaged from this day after all.


	7. Oracle L&C POV

'**Oracle' rewrite Lois and Clark POV**

**Author's Note: I tried something different with this one. There will only be one rewrite for 'Oracle', Lois and Clark's POV in one story. Also I decided for this one I'm not going to get into the real plot line that was on the show. That didn't really interest me that much for this one. So there is no 'ghost Jonathan' scene or anything between Lois and Lana. I did keep the loft scene everyone loves but moved it to a different location and made it work. Let me know what you think, if you like the dual POV vs. two separate stories. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

Lois looked over the ingredient list one more time and blew hair out of her eyes, exasperated. She knew she wasn't exactly Betty Crocker but she was capable of reading and following directions, this shouldn't be that difficult. She had already scrapped the first two attempts, Shelby wouldn't even touch the first one.

Normally she would have turned to her own personal baking guru but Martha Kent was in Topeka all week working on the new state budget. She was coming into town special for the weekend for Clark's birthday. Which is why Lois had spent the last three hours in the Kent kitchen getting more and more frustrated.

She didn't know why she was going through so much trouble. Food was not her specialty and Mrs. K could certainly bake a better birthday cake than she could but the other night before the senator had left she had made a comment about hoping she wouldn't be too tired when she got in to make Clark's cake. But before she could stop herself Lois had offered to make the cake and to not worry. Martha had looked appropriately skeptical but had thanked Lois for her offer and said she knew she could handle making the cake.

Now Lois was the one that was skeptical. She set her shoulders and read over the recipe one more time.

Two hours later, a surprisingly tasty, although not very aesthetic cake sat on the counter newly frosted.

Lois swiped the damp towel over the sink and gave Shelby an apprising look. "Don't even think about it." she warned

She didn't know why making the cake had been so important to her. She could have saved herself a lot of trouble and frustration by just buying a cake at the store or letting Martha make it when she got home. But this was Clark's first birthday without his dad and she didn't want him to spend it moping in the barn. She was literally handing him ammunition on a plate with the way that cake looked.

Lois smirked at the thought. Smallville could be a smartass when he wanted to. He'd better appreciate what she was doing for him.

She took a quick glance at the clock, Martha should be back soon depending on how bad traffic was leaving Topeka and Chloe was on her way as well. Her cousin was in charge of delaying Clark from arriving at the farm too early which was just as well, she still needed to wrap his present.

When she had first seen the leather bound journal it hadn't impressed her much. The leather was soft and the stitching of a higher quality, understated and unassuming. Inside the pages were crisp, thick and durable and as she held the book in her hands she knew it was the perfect gift for Clark. On impulse she had the shop emboss his initials on the front. Maybe he could put that brooding to good use, or at least put it down on paper.

She raided Martha's stash of wrapping supplies and sat down to do her best when of course the tape ran out after the first tear. Growling in frustration she headed back to the sideboard but was unable to find a refill.

Lois looked through all the other drawers in the kitchen before heading into the small room the Kent's used as an office. She had only been in here a handful of times since Mr. Kent's death, it still smelled of him and if she stood still and closed her eyes she could imagine him sitting there going over the farm ledger and writing bills.

She steeled herself and went straight to the old roll top desk. Poking through the tiny drawers and cubbies and finally in the back of one she felt the distinctive shape of a tape dispenser. Feeling victorious she pulled it out quickly and managed to dislodge a short stack of papers.

Gathering them back up she went to shove them back where they had been when the one on the top stopped her. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized Jonathan Kent's distinctive scrawl across the front of a light blue envelope.

It was addressed to Clark. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help herself from turning the envelope over and noticing it hadn't been sealed. Before she knew what she was doing she had pulled the card out and read the inscription. A birthday card for Clark. Slowly she opened it and saw the tickets to a baseball game. Two tickets. Her vision blurred and she couldn't make out the note he had added.

She didn't know how long she had sat there. Holding this card as if it were some sort of tangible connection to Mr. Kent instead of just a piece of paper. She was sad and touched and anxious all at the same time. How would Clark react to receiving this gift from his father, beyond the grave as it were. Should she let him know she found it or put it back where it had been and leave it for someone else to find?

But the decision was taken away from her when a soft hand landed on her shoulder and made her jump. "Lois, sweetheart. Are you ok?" came the concerned voice of Martha Kent "I called your name three times. What are you doing in..." but she trailed off as she caught sight of what Lois was holding.

Lois swiped a hand over her eyes and dropped the card as if it had burned her. She got to her feet, "Mrs. K!" she said a little too brightly "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." and then she followed the older woman's gaze to the card.

"I was looking for some tape and it just fell out. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have opened it but it wasn't closed and I don't know I just..." she rambled on, hating that she had been caught looking at something so private.

Martha sank down into the chair Lois had just vacated and picked up the card reverently . "He always did this." she said softly, brushing a finger over the word 'Dad' "He wasn't much for cards but if we were out and he was waiting on me to finish something up he would go browse the card section. He almost always found a card for Clark months before he really needed it." she gave a short, choked laugh "I would try and tell him that no one needed to be that prepared but he wouldn't hear it. I should have known he would have already bought Clark's card for this year."

Lois smiled "That sounds like something he would do." relieved that Mrs. Kent didn't seem upset at her for reading the card.

Martha nodded and shut the card, tucking the tickets safely inside before laying her hand on the front "Do you think we should give it to him?"

Lois was taken aback. What did she mean by 'we'. Did she mean her and Mr. Kent or did she mean her and Lois? And if she meant the latter what did that mean? And why was Mrs. K asking her anyways, as if Lois had a higher stake in decisions that involved Clark than she realized.

But wasn't this the exact same thing she herself had just been contemplating only moments ago? "I think..." she began, voice tight "I think it's what Mr. Kent wanted." she paused before adding the next part, not knowing if she was stepping over a line "And I think it's what Clark needs. I think it'll be ok."

Martha was quiet for a moment before she put the card back inside the envelope and turned to face Lois. Eyes bright, she grabbed Lois's hand and squeezed it. "I think you're absolutely right." Lois ginned and squeezed back.

"Now, how about we see about getting the rest of the party ready. I saw the cake."

Lois flushed a bit at mention of the cake "It tastes better than it looks." she reassured her. Martha gave her a look that said 'we'll see' and then headed for the kitchen.

Lois remembered to grab the tape off the desk before taking one more quick look into the room and shut the door tight behind her.

The next hour was a whirlwind and then Chloe rushed through the door already talking "I'm sorry! Traffic was terrible leaving Metropolis. I stalled him by telling him you needed him to pick up some groceries to re-stock since Mrs. Kent was coming home. But he's probably only five minutes behind me."

They scrambled. The last decoration was secured. Lois hastily tore open the package of noise makers and Chloe raced to the front of the house to get the lights. The long candles on the cake were lit and they waited in anticipation as they heard the door of the truck slam.

Clark cut the engine and reached over to grab the bag of groceries Chloe had called him about earlier. He thought it was strange that she would be calling to relay a message from his mom but shrugged it off. Taking the steps two at a time he vaguely noticed there weren't any lights on and that not only was his mom home already but Lois and Chloe's cars were there as well.

He stepped into the dark foyer, his attention on the box of cereal he had picked up that wasn't on the list, hoping he would have a chance to hide it before his mom saw it. "Mom." he called out before the lights in the kitchen suddenly came on and there were three voices shouting at him at once.

"Happy Birthday!"

Him mom, Chloe and Lois were all jumping and shouting and blowing noise makers. There were balloons and streamers and even a Happy Birthday, Clark banner.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart! We got you, didn't we." he heard his mom say as Lois stepped forward and throw glittery confetti all over him with a very non-Lois sounding 'Woo!'

He was dumbstruck. He had secretly hoped that his birthday could be ignored this year. It didn't seem quite right to celebrate yet.

He sat the bag of groceries down as Chloe approached holding what appeared to maybe be a cake. It was decorated with blue and red icing and seemed to have suffered some terrible structural collapse as half of it was sunken in. "And look, Lois even made her world famous rum cake for you." she said, her eyes glinting with mirth.

"From scratch." added Lois, her expression one of pride but he saw the permission in her look, the one that said 'it's ok to bust me for my spectacularly awful cake'.

"Wow. I never would have guessed." he said, hesitantly. And knew he had chosen correctly when he saw Lois's slight glower.

"You should have seen the first two." Chloe threw in but Lois ignored her cousin

"Come on, presents before cake." Lois said as she guided him into the kitchen.

Clark let himself be pulled towards the island and sat on a stool. Lois grabbed a brightly wrapped present and shoved it in his hands. "Open it."

He grinned and let himself finally be pulled into the spirit of the festivities. Not trying to contain his excitement he tore into the paper. A gift from Lois, he really didn't know what to make of that.

Underneath the wrapping was a slim journal, leather bound. In the lower right hand corner he saw his initials in a golden font. This was not what he had expected. He looked up, meeting Lois's eyes, questioning.

"Not that you're the 'Dear Diary' type," she began hurriedly "but since you keep everything to yourself I thought it might help."

He didn't know what to say. He expected a gag gift or an action movie that was more for Lois's benefit than for his. This was perfect. The size and shape reminded him of the ledgers his father had always used to keep up with the business of running the farm. This was the perfect gift, and Lois was right, it might be good to write things down sometimes instead of keeping it all in. He didn't get a chance to thank her before Chloe told him about her non-present and then his eyes landed on a card propped up against a gift bag.

He did a double take. That was his dad's handwriting. He was sure of it.

Lois was watching him carefully and knew by how his back tensed that he had spotted the card. She bit her lip, nervous about how he would take it.

Clark glanced between the card and his mother and he could tell by the look on her face that he was right. "Thats dad's handwriting."

She pulled the card out and handed it to him "Lois found it in his desk." she said softly

Clark looked up at her quickly before turning his attention back to the card. He knew his dad liked to buy cards ahead of time. One time he said he had found the perfect card for their anniversary five months early.

Once again he found himself looking at Lois. For what? Approval? Encouragement? Support?

She smiled at him and nodded, pushing her head slightly towards the card in his hand as if to say 'Go ahead, Smallville, it's ok."

He gave her a tight smile and then opened the envelope, feeling the heavy card stock in his hand as he pulled out the last birthday card he'd ever receive from his father.

As he opened the card, he found that it wasn't empty. Two tickets fell out and he let out a small half laugh as his throat tightened. Tickets to a baseball game in Milwaukee. Two tickets to a game that his dad would never see and that they would never go to.

He heard his mom talking, about his dad and baseball, but he wasn't sure he was hearing her. He just kept staring at the tickets.

Lois could tell he wasn't quite with them. His eyes hadn't left the tickets and he wasn't really responding to Mrs. Kent's words. She exchanged a glance with Chloe. What should they do?

She watched the muscle clench and unclench along his jaw and knew she had to act quickly to avoid any potentially embarrassing situations for all of them.

Clapping her hands together she grabbed the cake and re-lit the candles. "Alright birthday boy. Time to make a wish." she said with forced exuberance and held the cake towards Clark, all but forcing him out of his thoughts.

Clark jumped a little as suddenly there was Lois's cake being shoved in his face. He looked up to see her right there, smiling a little too brightly telling him to make a wish. Considering he had almost had a breakdown in the kitchen in front of everyone he was beyond grateful that she had chosen right then to get the party back on track.

He blew the candles out, not bothering with the wish this year. His mom pushed the other two gifts in front of him and Lois and Chloe cut the cake. The little celebration lasted another half hour before Chloe begged off, an early morning at the Planet her excuse.

His mom and Lois were busy cleaning up. Clark grabbed the journal and the tickets to the game before telling them that he was heading to the barn to do the night chores.

He sat on the couch in the loft, journal in one hand, tickets in the other and then gave a snort of laughter. Lois was right. Placing the journal on his desk and the tickets in his pocket he supersped through the chores and then headed for his truck. There was something he needed to do.

Lois watched through the window as the headlight receded. She wasn't sure where he was going but at least he wasn't going to spend the night moping.

Martha put away the last of the dishes and then came up beside Lois. "He's gone to see his dad." she said knowingly

"What?" Lois asked, surprised

"He doesn't think I know but...he's been going to the cemetery."

"Has he been going a lot?"

Martha shook her head "Not really. I think its when he needs a talking to." she smiled wistfully. "He knows what his dad would say. He knows the right thing to do, but sometimes..."

"Sometimes you need to hear it." Lois finished for her.

The two women stood for a moment longer, looking out into the dark landscape.

Martha broke the silence by letting Lois know that a new budget prospective had come in as well as some other things that needed their attention.

After an hour of work Martha couldn't stifle her yawns anymore and told Lois they could pick up where they left off the next day.

As she drove down the Kent's driveway she realized Clark hadn't returned and headed in the direction of the cemetery.

Clark wasn't sure how long he had been kneeling in front of his father's headstone. He hadn't been there in almost two weeks. It seemed like it had been two years. He laid the tickets on top of the cold marble. "Thanks for the tickets, Dad."

A sweep of headlights cut across the graveyard in front of him. No one had ever been out here this late at night before.

The lights died soon after the engine was cut off and he heard the sounds of someone shutting a car door and then a dull thud, a hiss of pain and a muttered curse. Lois.

"Lois." he called "Is that you?" heading her direction

"Yeah, Smallville." she replied, annoyance evident in her voice

"You ok?" he asked as he stepped around one of the larger family memorials and saw her in front of him.

"Just tripped over a rock. You'd think the grounds crew would clear things like that away." the beginnings of a trademark Lois Lane rant in the works.

"Uh, I think it was a headstone." he pointed out looking behind her to see where she had come from.

"Oh. Well still, it shouldn't have been in the middle of the path like that." and as soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them.

"Of course not Lois. The family of that poor soul should have never been so inconsiderate as to bury their loved one where you were walking." he shot back sarcastically

Her eyes went to his quickly and she was relieved to see that he wasn't mad.

"So, what are you doing here? Thought maybe you'd try and go see Lana."

At the mention of the 'L' word Clark turned and walked back in the direction of his father's grave.

"And why do you think I'd do that." he asked, voice tight

"Because you're Clark Kent. Going after Lana Lang is what you do."

"She's with Lex now, I told you that."

"That doesn't mean you accept that. Or that you want it to be like that." she retorted

"What choice do I have, Lois?" fist balled as he laid it again on the headstone, staring blankly at the tickets that were beginning to accumulate a fine coating of snow. "And since when are Lana and I any of your business."

She knew she needed to tread carefully here. Relationship advice was not exactly her forte but right then Clark needed to hear reason.

"I know I'm not the one most people would turn to for this sort of stuff but, I think its time for some tough love."

His head jerked up but he didn't turn around to face her.

She saw his reaction and faltered for a moment. Was this really her place? But then she realized that no one else seemed to be seeing what she was seeing. Taking a deep breath she decided she was already in and she needed to finish what she had started.

"You need to make a decision. If you want Lana you need to fight for her. But if you don't, you need to let her go." Lois paused, giving him a chance to react if he wanted to "She's a big girl. She knows about Lex and she's still choosing to be with him. You either need to do what needs to be done to get her back or you let her live her life. Mistakes and all."

They were quiet. For five very long minutes neither of them said a word. The only sound was the soft crinkle of snow as if drifted and settled around them.

After two minutes she began to worry her lip. Wondering if she had gone too far this time. Wondering if him not speaking and not moving was a good thing or a bad thing.

At three minutes she opened her mouth three times but then shut it again. Clark still never moved.

Lois's words had sent a shock through him.

Finally he felt compelled to speak "I feel like I've been left behind."

That wasn't what she was expecting to hear at all.

"The last few months. Everything has changed. Everybody has changed. But I'm still just plain old Clark Kent, still on the farm in Smallville."

He brushed the accumulating snow off the tickets and turned to face her. For once he couldn't read her. She was one of those people who felt so deeply about everything you almost always knew what they were feeling. If Lois was happy, you knew it. Angry, you definitely knew it. Same for annoyed and exasperated and frustrated. Vulnerable, sad and scared Lois were not often seen as she did her best to hide those but he felt like he even knew when those were present.

But right then he didn't have a clue and that rocked him more than what she had said about Lana. He realized that when Lois was mad he would try to make her happy. If she was annoyed he would placate her to give her the satisfaction of a win. He realized that his relationship with her was one of balance between the two of them. It was give and take. And he always had seemed to know what was needed.

Her visage was blank. She was just waiting. No expectations, no pressure. Open to whatever he might say. And he realized that she balanced him as well.

"And what's so wrong with plain old Clark Kent?" she asked

"Nothing and everything." he said quickly "Who am I without my dad? Who am I without Lana?" he was looking to her for answers

"You're you. And while you may have looked up to your dad for advice and guidance don't think that he hasn't taught you lessons that won't stick with you for your entire life." she said earnestly, he had to know that Jonathan Kent would always be with him. The subject of Lana however, was not one that she was totally comfortable getting into, but she had started this conversation so she really didn't have a choice. "And I know that Lana has been a big part of your life but she is not your entire life." That was about as diplomatic as she could be when discussing Lana Lang. The girl's behavior the last few months had been less than impressive.

Clark nodded. He knew she was right. To his head it sounded right and it sounded good. But to his heart...Not three months ago in the other time he had asked Lana to marry him and she had said yes. But in this time he hadn't asked and his dad was dead and Lana had left him and gone straight to Lex. If someone had told him this was how things were going to turn out he never would have believed them.

"I just don't know how to do that. I was ready to ask Lana to marry me a few months ago." he didn't miss how her carefully controlled expression failed her at that admission. "But now. I think I'm more confused by not knowing if I do want her back." saying it out loud made it real somehow. "Going to Lex...she's changed...she's not the same person I used to know. But I can't imagine being with anyone else." he ran a frustrated hand through his hair and looked at her, waiting.

She hadn't expected this. She had expected him to be defensive and protective of Lana, excusing her actions and saying that it didn't matter what she had done.

"You're wrong." she said.

His eyebrows shot to his forehead. What did she mean he was wrong?

But she cut him off before he could protest.

"No." she said firmly, hand out as a physical reinforcement to her words. She stepped forward and the hand came to rest mid-chest, feeling the worn softness of the flannel as it warmed her bare fingers. He was avoiding her gaze. "You misunderstand. You're not wrong about Lana. You're wrong about you not changing. Don't you realize that the old Clark Kent would have never questioned Lana, would have never questioned whether you should be with her or not. Yes things have changed, but you have too. Don't doubt that. And if your gut is telling you that maybe Lana isn't the girl for you anymore I think you should listen to it."

And blue eyes met brown.

Her nose was tipped red with cold and snow was encrusted on the ends of her hair that stuck out from underneath her hood. For just a moment his breath caught in his throat.

He didn't know what to say. Lois never failed to surprise him, that was for sure. Before he could react she was speaking again.

"And I wouldn't give up finding 'the one' at the ripe age of 19." she said with a smirk. "Sometimes you gotta tuck your feelings away until its the right time. Think about it like you're stuffing dollars in a piggy bank for a bike you can't quite afford. But when you finally crack open that bank piggy bank you'll find that instead of a bike you've really been saving for a Harley."

He couldn't help but grin. Stepping back he walked to the grave across from his father's and sunk down, leaning against the cold stone. "You know Lois, sometimes I think you don't know me at all, and other's I think you know me better than anybody."

A wide smiled crossed her face. "Well, I've already told you Smallville, thats what I'm here for, one save at a time."

She sat down next to him, wincing slightly as the damp from the fresh snow melted under her. As the cold seeped into her she hoped Mr. Walters didn't mind them using his eternal resting place as a back rest.

They were quiet for a while. Watching the snow fall around them. It was peaceful, as odd as that may seem since they were sitting in a graveyard.

"He wouldn't mind if you went to the game." she said softly

"I know. But it just doesn't seem right. Those tickets were for the two of us and now.." his voice caught for a moment and Lois's hand came out quickly to meet his where it rested on his knee. "Now there isn't a two of us anymore."

"It still doesn't seem real sometimes." she spoke so quietly he almost didn't hear her. "Sometimes I still expect to drive up and see him wiping his hands on a rag or pulling bags of feed out of the truck." she smiled at the memory

Clark's hand tightened over hers, finally noticing how cold she was. "I miss him every day."

Lois's head fell to his shoulder "You're my best friend, Smallville."

Her comment made him smile. Really smile for the first time in a while. He dropped his head to the side to rest on hers. "Thanks, Lois."

"And thanks for the party. I didn't think I wanted one this year but it was nice. Just do me a favor and let my mom make the cake next year."

He could actually feel her roll her eyes at him "One save at a time, Smallville.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Lois." he said smiling as he pulled her to her feet and they headed towards the cars, fresh snow crunching under their boots, their hands still clasped.


	8. Chapter 8

'**Vessel/Zod' Rewrite Lois POV**

She came to slowly. In bits of consciousness and hazy memories. She didn't know how many times she woke at first only to succumb once again to the darkness where there was no noise and she felt no pain.

The next time she woke she tried opening her eyes. The lights were low but what little illumination there was caused her to wince and she allowed her eyes to slip shut again. Her head throbbed and it hurt to breathe. She turned her attention to her usual post-wake up in the hospital check and began to cautiously move each limb. When she reached her right arm she found that it wouldn't move. At all.

A flash of panic shot through her and she opened her eyes again, bracing herself for the worst. What she found when she looked down was a dark head laying across her forearm and partially on her hip, when she twitched her fingers a warm hand squeezed hers in return.

It was Smallville.

She felt a wave of relief. And then confusion. Why would Clark be here? And where was she?

The blinds to her room were partially open and she recognized the familiar features of Smallville Medical Center. In a rush it all came back. The plane and Mrs. Kent. Crashing and snow and a place that was more beautiful than she could ever describe.

The t.v was on mute but the 24 hour news channel was showing clips from around the world. Apparently whatever had happened to their plane was not an isolated incident. A memory struck her and she remembered not too long ago waking up in this very hospital and finding out the terrible news of Jonathan Kent's death on the t.v. At least this time she wasn't alone, she thought as she looked down at the folded mass of farm boy next to her.

A sharp pain shot through her chest and she stifled a gasp. Clark's hand clasped hers again and without thinking she brought her other hand up, the one with the i.v in it to brush through his hair.

Whatever had brought Clark Kent to her bedside in such a way must have been bad. She refused to entertain any of the terrible thoughts that flashed through her head. She had no information and speculation had no place right then. Her fingers were moving of their own accord and she was surprised to find that she was finding comfort in both his presence and by this physical connection.

They spent their days arguing and exchanging verbal jabs but when the chips were down she knew who she could count on. The last few months had shown her what a special person Clark really was, not that she would ever really say that to him. But she knew if she needed him he would be there. She felt the same obligation to him as well.

She lost track of time. No one came to check on her. She knew it was late. It seemed to be about thirty six hours past when she last remembered and with the amount of activity she could see in the hallway and the soft glow of emergency lights she knew she was not on the top of the medical priority list.

She may have dozed off. Between the remaining drugs in her system and the repetitive motion of her hand in his hair it was hard to fight the pull of sleep. A dull crash in the hallway made her jerk awake although Clark didn't so much as twitch. Her hand stilled, and then slipped further down, now playing with the slightly longer hair at the nape of his neck. She hadn't meant to do that, but an unexpected shock ran through her and she didn't have time to think any further on that subject because Clark was waking up.

His hand fell away from hers first and then came up the back of his neck, subconsciously seeking the source of whatever had been touching him. When he found her hand he grabbed on to it and squeezed it before his thumb began to rub slowly across the top, occasionally hitting the loops of tubing from her i.v.

His head moved then, burrowing slightly into her hip before he sat up, blinking owlishly. Her arm came to rest across her abdomen and she waited for him to say something.

"Lois!" he exclaimed, his voice rough with sleep "You're awake! How do you feel? Are you ok?"

She smiled knowingly at him "I think I'm ok, Smallville. I feel like I got run over by one of my dad's tanks but, I've had worse."

"I was worried." he admitted

"How did I get here? The last thing I remember was trying to get to the oxygen masks on the plane." she choked on her words before continuing "Your mom...she was already unconscious...is she..." but she couldn't finish the question, her eyes had already begun to blur and her throat had constricted.

Clark's hand shot out to once again take hers "Mom's fine." he said quickly and she shut her eyes tight hoping to stem the tears, now of relief, that threatened to break free but a few escaped.

She didn't open her eyes right then "I couldn't lose her too." she whispered

And then he did something that seemed to shock both of them. He sat on the bed at her hip, facing her and he gathered her into his arms. She resisted for a moment before giving in. Her lungs burned in protest but she didn't care. Her forehead rested on his collarbone and she tried to compose herself while he ran a comforting hand up and down her back. They both gasped in surprise when one hand inadvertently slipped into a gap created by the thin hospital gown. After than his hand stayed firmly in the area of her shoulder.

"Mom's fine." he repeated

When she felt that she could face him without breaking down she pushed back a little and let him help her lay back again on the pillows. He stayed seated on the bed.

"What happened? The news makes it look like it was some sort of worldwide power outage."

"Thats pretty much what happened. Apparently it was triggered by a computer virus that spread faster than anyone thought possible. It shut down the infrastructure of every major city in the world in under twelve hours."

She took a moment to let the information sink in. "So thats why the plane had gone off course and then lost control."

He nodded stiffly and wouldn't meet her eyes. "I should have known the planes would be affected but I didn't think about it. You and Mom on the plane to D.C...I thought you were safe." he looked completely defeated

"Smallville, this wasn't your fault, no one could have seen this coming." she said as reassuringly as possible. She didn't understand him, sometimes he spoke as if the entire weight of the world rested on him. As if whatever bad thing had just happened he could have prevented.

"Where did the plane crash? And how did I get here?"

"The plane landed in northern Canada. Mom was able to arrange for transportation back to Smallville. "

"And your mom's really ok?" she had to ask again, not understanding how anyone could survive a plane crash and not be in the hospital.

He smiled then. It was a half smile, but it would do. "She's ok. Lots of bumps and bruises but you certainly took the brunt of it."

"I can tell." she said, wincing as she took too deep a breath.

"So, give me the skinny, Smallville. What's exactly been going on here?" suddenly it hit her that Clark hadn't said anything about Chloe. It must have been evident on her face because before she could ask he spoke up.

"Don't worry. Chloe's fine. She was at the Daily Planet when it happened and managed to meet up with Lionel Luthor. I saw her before I came here." there was a flicker of something in his eyes when he spoke of her cousin but she couldn't make it out. "She said she'd be by later tonight if she could make it out of the city."

"What about everyone else?"

His face darkened and she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. "I don't know. It's hard to get any information right now. Most everything is running on back up generators." As if to prove his point the news station suddenly went to static.

Lois nodded but didn't press for any more information.

Looking down to her lap she realized they were still holding hands. Hoping the dim lighting concealed her blush she took hers from his quickly.

"Well, you should probably get going then." she said, much too brightly. "I'm sure your mom needs you. I'm fine, really. I'm going to try and get out of this place as soon as I can. I've had about enough of hospitals this year." she continued on, embarrassment and just a little bit of fear causing her to ramble.

To his credit Clark didn't bolt for the door immediately. "Are you sure. I don't mind waiting here with you." and there was something in his voice that made her almost think he wanted her to ask him to stay.

"Really. I'm fine." grimacing slightly, as she was anything but fine

He opened his mouth but closed it again and nodded once, standing up. Her entire field of vision now held nothing but his familiar blue t-shirt and red jacket.

"You should get some rest. I'll tell them that you woke up." he said and then turned to leave.

He was a few steps from the door when she couldn't help herself and called out "Smallville."

He turned and waited for her to speak.

"Thanks for...for sitting with me." she said softly.

"Any time, Lois." he replied and gifted her with a wide smile.

Thinking she had finished he reached for the door when her voice stopped him once more. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to tell him what she had remembered.

"I think I died." she said, her voice quiet. "I don't remember the plane going down. The cabin had lost pressure and we were gasping for breath...and then I was in this palace of ice. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was bathed in this warm light and I knew everything was going to be ok." she noticed Clark's back stiffen and his hand grasp the door handle tighter but he never turned around.

When he did she couldn't read his expression. "Then I'm glad you're back and that you're ok." and then he was gone.

Lois settled herself back against the pillows and heard the buzz of the pain pump next to her bed releasing a dose into her i.v. She didn't fight the medication and as her eyes slid shut she dreamt of her palace of ice and a man in a red cape.


End file.
